Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As somebody who has spent a lot of time with fishermen and farmers and those working in both sectors in the broader food industry, I agree that these are two vulnerable sectors if we cannot get the kind of Brexit deal we are looking for. There is no question about that. That is why, when we put contingency plans in place for a no-deal Brexit, these sectors were a big focus for us, along with tourism and hospitality. In many ways, the no-deal Brexit preparations we had put in place were of some assistance in the context of trying to put contingency measures in place to respond to Covid-19 and its impact on these sectors. Having said that, there is no question but that more support will be needed if we cannot get the kind of Brexit deal we will try to negotiate for.

If we lose our access into British waters, as an Irish fleet and as part of the EU fleet, it is not only the loss of those fishing opportunities in British waters that are a concern in the fishing sector but there is also a concern around the potential to shift effort from British waters into Irish waters in the context of other EU fleets. I have spoken to Michel Barnier directly about this particular issue because we need to think about it to ensure Ireland is not hit with a double negative.

For now, however, our focus is to try to negotiate the best deal possible for the EU and Ireland in the context of fishing, quota share, access to UK waters, accepting UK access to EU waters and trying to ensure that we manage stocks in a responsible way. The idea that one can easily impose hard borders at sea is nonsense, to be honest, because fish grow and mature and travel across those borders, particularly in the case of mackerel off the west coast, north-west coast and the waters west of Scotland. We must find a way of getting an agreed position and an understanding between the UK and the EU on fishing that protects our industry and our fish stocks. That will be high on the agenda.

Regarding the Mercosur deal, the Taoiseach stated in the past that we are going to assess the potential economic impact of that deal before we make a final decision on it. I assure the Deputy we will be making decisions that are in the best interests of Ireland through that process.

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