Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Chair.

As there has been a substantial increase in bluefin tuna allocation through ICCAT to a number of European Union member states, this is not just a case of relative stability. These member states gained substantially from the success of the measures that were put in place to sustain bluefin tuna. They were successful and therefore, they had the ability to allocate additional quota. There was all this additional quota going to EU member states and that is where the opportunity was. This was additional quota allocated from ICCAT and surely Ireland should have been getting some of that quota. I say this as commentary; I am not looking a response on that.

I do wish to talk about the concerns of the industry as articulated in a number of recent news reports. I will start with the reports on a letter from the Danish minister for fisheries, Jacob Jensen, to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. This letter was sent to the Minister on 25 September 2023 and has been reported on by The Skippermagazine and the Irish Independent. It was reported that the Danish minister had offered to resolve a dispute between our two states. The value of what was being offered is at around €10 million over two years. In Ms McSherry's statement to the committee, she states that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, "successfully negotiated a permanent allocation of additional mackerel for the Irish fleet worth approximatively €3 million annually for Irish fishers". While that is correct, Ms McSherry omitted to mention that there was an offer there. In the report in the Irish Independent, the Department stated "Ireland did not accept Denmark's proposal of a once-off transfer of mackerel quota in September 2023 as the solution proposed did not reflect the European Commission's legal analysis which confirmed that this quota originated in the western waters mackerel quota area." Why, when that letter was received from the Danish minister, was there not immediate consultation with the industry representatives? The Department meets them regularly, the producer organisations in particular. Why was there not immediate consultation with them about this letter and that an offer had been made, as well as the Department's assessment that Ireland would turn down the offer because it was not in line with the legal advice of the European Commission? The industry representatives could have had an input into what was a huge decision at a time when they are desperate for additional quotas. Can I get an answer to that question please?