Mr. Jerry Early:

I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for inviting us to this meeting. I find it astounding that as the biggest producer organisation, even though we are an inshore PO, we had no notification of this meeting until yesterday. I find that shameful and those responsible should hold their heads in shame.

My big issue is that decommissioning is something that we, the Irish islands, never agreed to. I also find it astounding that nobody else has raised this insofar as decommissioning is concerned. For the Minister to say it was unanimous is not true. We did not agree with decommissioning and many things within it. Through the task force, the Minister said he said he had full support, which is not true.

I want to point out an important issue related to decommissioning that is very valuable. The Minister announced today that €52 million has been provided to local authorities for improvements locally in the western regions of Cork. Who is going to fish from these piers? There are no young people coming into the industry. We are talking about quotas. There is no forward thinking on access for new entrants. We are paying fishermen to stop fishing. Is there any forward thinking about setting aside tonnage and kilowatts for new entrants? There are older fishermen leaving the industry through decommissioning buying up small boats and pricing out younger people who want to get into the industry. They are fishing non-quota species in inshore waters and putting extra pressure on those stocks. We are talking about going out to negotiate with the European Commission and quotas. Charity begins at home. It is shameful that nobody else has brought up this issue at this meeting. I want it on record that unless we support new entrants into this sector, this whole conversation is null and void as far as I am concerned.

I have nothing else to add to what has already been said. I could go for forever and a day but the issues have been covered. That is my contribution.