Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

What I have been doing with this issue, I do not do it lightly. We have made statements that I am sure make some people in Iceland uncomfortable and angry but we cannot stand by and allow the plundering of a hugely valuable stock, worth €1 billion in terms of quayside value to the European Union, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. There have been changes in the migratory pattern of mackerel which has resulted in stocks moving north to Icelandic and Faroese waters, and the European Union accepts that there must be an upward reallocation of mackerel quota to Iceland and the Faroe Islands. What is being sought is none the less totally unrealistic.

The EU, in an effort to achieve a deal, offered a 2,000% increase in Iceland's quota. It was at 0.3% and the offer was made to increase it to 7%. In addition, the Faroese were being offered a quota of 8%, having previously caught 4.7% or 4.8% of the quota. We are talking about offering a combined 15% of a €1 billion quota to countries that would previously have had approximately 5% access to the quota. The European Union has been more than generous in trying to find a resolution based on encouraging responsible fishing. Nevertheless, last year Iceland caught approximately 150,000 tonnes of fish from a recommended catch of approximately 630,000 tonnes or 640,000 tonnes. That is approximately 23% of the catch. This country would historically have had 0.3% or 4,000 tonnes of the catch but it decided to catch 150,000 tonnes last year. That country encouraged vessels from other parts of the world to help it catch large volumes of fish.

It is totally unsustainable for us to allow this type of fishing of the most valuable stock in the Irish fishing industry. I will do what I have to in order to protect the industry's interests on the issue. We are taking the current approach to attempt to encourage future dialogue. We have had five rounds of negotiations on the issue in the past 12 months but got nowhere. The European Union must show some teeth at this stage, and that is why I am pushing the Commission and Council, and the reason I have got strong support from member states such as the UK, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the Scandinavian countries to fast-track sanctions.

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