Mr. Brendan Byrne:

We are facing an economic armageddon in the processing sector. It is no different in the catching sector. We need to address that. To put it in context, and we have not put much in context today yet, the impact of the advice from ICES last week is the equivalent of four years of Brexit put into 12 months. It is four years of negative impacts and loss from Brexit in a 12-month period. As a member state, we were shocked at the scale of Brexit, which was a six-year deal. Four years are being condensed into one. That is what our sector is facing in the next 12 calendar months.

If I can deviate slightly, the most important question was asked by Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn earlier, about larger entities, third countries, corporations and all that. It was not answered by us. We have been a member state of the European Union since 1973 and the actions of others have decimated the most valuable fisheries we have. Involved in those actions are companies that have shares here, there and everywhere, which may all stem back to one entity. Meanwhile, Europe has a toolkit which it can use under Regulation 1026/2012, which has been subsequently amended by the Commission, which is trade actions and market restrictions to defend member states when the actions of others as third countries are undermining a stock, but it is in a state of paralysis. If we as a committee cannot say loudly and clearly that the actions of third countries, aided and abetted by the United Kingdom and influence from within the EU, are decimating an industry that this country depends on for 17,000 jobs which will not be easily replaced, then we need to address the elephant in the room.

I was trying to get in to respond to Deputy Mac Lochlainn's question because that is the kernel of where we are and how we got here.