Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will agree that either a no-deal Brexit or an orderly one will be serious for the sector because we are all aware that 60% of our mackerel, 40% of our nephrops and, on average, approximately 30% of our fish are caught in UK waters.

The Minister has mentioned the co-ordinated response, mitigation measures and funding. I want him to clarify if the funding will be additional rather than a rebranding of the funding that is available under regulation 508/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council which relates to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, EMFF. I understand that some of those funds would be siphoned off to deal with the Brexit situation, and that is not acceptable. There must be additional funds.

Much of the focus has rightly been on agriculture, but the same focus must be brought to bear on fisheries. There must be contingency plans for every eventuality, and it is never premature to plan. What concerns me most is that, at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting last December, we were told that all of the fish could be caught, irrespective of the 30 March deadline, until the end of the year. That was only an informal agreement and the result has been that the landing of fish for the year has been front-loaded. The Minister and I both know the consequences of that. There is not a square inch of cold store in this country. The industry caught them all before 29 March. Greater assurances should be given and we should learn from that.

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