Mr. Brendan Byrne:

The Commission most definitely has ability and the toolkit to deal with this comprehensively. However, I do not see any willingness on its part to do so. As I said to the Chairman earlier, we are facing an economic Armageddon where quite literally within the first number of months of next year, there could be up to 2,000 job losses, multiple factory closures and decimation in coastal and maritime communities. Those are the realities we are facing. Our mackerel stock and quota will have been cut by 89% over the last three years.

At the same time, as a processor, I see free and unfettered access by the Norwegians who are the culprits who caused this - likewise, the Faroese and to a lesser extent the Icelandic. In international waters the Russians are at play. The European Commission has shown no respect to what is Ireland's richest stock. Around our coast many other member states are benefiting from the fish stocks that are there. In the only stock we have a 50% share in, it is not being defended because the actions of others have undermined the stock we have. This is crazy stuff. The Commission has the ability; what we now need is the willingness.