Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

I thank Labour for the time allocated.

Earlier today I attempted to table a further amendment to the Government's amendment and the Fine Gael motion but, regrettably, it was not allowed. For the record, I want to read it into the record of the House. It stated:

Calls on the Government to:

demand a complete re-negotiation of the Common Fisheries Policy as it affects the Irish fisheries, Irish stock management and the allocation of quota to Irish fishermen;

reclaim jurisdiction over Irish territorial waters and the Irish fisheries;

amend the Criminal Justice Act and the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act to remove criminal sanctions against fishermen and replace them with administrative penalties;

bring an end to the dumping at sea of dead fish;

address as a matter of urgency the crisis brought about by fuel price increases;

tackle the illegal fishing by foreign vessels in Irish waters;

introduce a labelling system to identify the country of origin of all fish and fish products sold here;

encourage the development and growth of the processing sector.

The reason I tabled my amendment is because neither the original motion nor the Government's amendment, for all their good intentions, address the basis and core problems facing Irish fishermen fundamental to which is the Common Fisheries Policy which has been the bedrock of the disastrous mismanagement of the Irish fishery since this State joined the EU. Unless and until the Government reverses the shameful sell out made at that time, we will be merely tinkering around and allowing Brussels engineer and effectively liquidate the Irish fishing sector.

There seems to be little political will here to demand a radical overhaul of the Common Fisheries Policy. In a reply to one of my questions today the Minister claims that many of Ireland's priorities have been delivered on during the ten yearly reviews but admits this State has received no support with regard to addressing the fundamental issue of quota.

Indeed, the overall impression is of this State constantly having to fight a rear-guard action to preserve whatever crumbs have been thrown our way. That in itself is reason enough, as one of the significant stakeholders in the sector, to demand that the policy be reformed in such a way as to ensure the interests of Irish fishermen are protected and enhanced.

It is significant that at the same time as this State was negotiating entry to the EU so was Norway. The Common Fisheries Policy was drawn up during the talks as a means of allowing "equal access" to British and Irish waters for the fishing fleets of the then six member states of Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Sensibly, the Norwegians decided that such a sacrifice of a national asset was not worth it as they still had a thriving fishing sector, and without doubt they have developed that sector.

The harm done by the Common Fisheries Policy is generally recognised. In 2002 the review group which reported to the Forum on Europe referred to the "inequalities and injustices" inherent in the Common Fisheries Policy. Perhaps it best summed up the situation when it declared that "Ireland has only a small piece of its own cake". Just how small is illustrated by the fact that even though we have 16% of EU fishing waters, we have only 4% of the quota. Even that fails to adequately illustrate how badly done by we are, as the Irish fishery is the most lucrative in the EU with 40% of edible fish consumed in the EU caught in Irish waters.

As I referred to in my statement two weeks ago, the 2004 estimate of the catch by the Irish fleet in waters around our coast was that it amounted to 15% of the total catch. Within the area under EU jurisdiction it was only 28%. In the same year it was estimated by the Marine Institute that the value of the catch in surrounding waters was €800 million of which €460 million was taken in the EU zone.

I also referred to EUROSTAT statistics which place the accumulated processed value of fish taken in Irish waters between 1974 and 2004 at approximately €200 billion, five times the value of the total transfer funds we received from the EU, mainly in CAP and Structural Funds over that period. In the closing eight or nine weeks of the campaign on Lisbon, we listened to those stating how grateful we should be to Europe, how thankful we should be for what they have done for us. They got five times the value back out of Irish fishing waters compared to what we received in Structural Funds from the EU. Those are the facts.

Had our fisheries been properly managed and developed under domestic control they might have become a valuable resource that could have played a vital role in the economic development of the country. Instead, the Irish fishery was squandered and is at present in mortal danger, not only due to current pressures such as those brought about by the steep increase in fuel prices, but by the overall trust of EU policy which many believe, with justification, is deliberately designed to reduce the Irish fishing sector to insignificance.

I take exception to the fact that people welcome decommissioning. It is a shame that Irish fishermen, who may be the second or third generation, are being forced out of the sector. It is nothing of which to be proud. It is a shame to say we got €42 million to compensate people for their livelihoods, and for their fathers' and grandfathers' livelihoods. It is a significant indictment on this State to come to such a point that decent honest hardworking men and women are being forced out of the sector.

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