Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Before I start today, I want to pay tribute and extend my sympathies to the family of the late Hugo Boyle, CEO of the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation, who passed away on Tuesday. He was a tremendous champion for the fishing sector and for fishermen. He was a man of integrity, dignity and accomplishment and a tremendous family man and professional. On behalf of the Department and everyone here in the Dáil, I extend my sympathy to his family, his wife Ellen, his children and wider family, and to his many colleagues, who valued him dearly. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

As Deputies will all be aware, fisheries was one of the most difficult areas of negotiation around the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement will, unfortunately, have a negative impact on our fishing industry. This impact, however, would have been far greater had the Barnier task force agreed to UK demands or had we been in a no-deal scenario, which would have seen all EU vessels barred from UK waters and their subsequent displacement into Ireland’s fishing zone. While the outcome on fisheries was a difficult compromise, I can assure Members that the Government will work to ensure the fisheries sector and the coastal communities that depend on it are supported through the period ahead.

Last week, I published a preliminary analysis of reduction of fisheries quota shares under EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which details the level of quota transfers for Ireland across the different stocks. This compares the quota shares allocated to Ireland in 2020 and the corresponding quota shares for 2021 to 2026. The quota reductions are to be spread out until 2026 and the aggregate final quota transfer by Ireland is estimated to be €43 million by that time, which amounts to a 15% reduction compared with the overall value of the 2020 Irish quotas. The upfront change for 2021 is sizeable at around 60%, however. These reductions across the different stocks will be felt immediately by our fishing industry when the full annual quotas for 2021 are determined in March.

On key western mackerel stock, our quota share reduces from our current 21% in 2020 to 18% for 2021, and this will reduce to 16% by 2025. This represents a 26% transfer of our quota to the UK by 2025. In Ireland's largest fishery for our whitefish fleet, which is nephrops or prawns, in area 7 our quota reduces from our current 37% to 34% in 2021 and is reduced to 32% in 2025. This represents a 14% transfer of our quota by 2025. There are also notable reductions in many other whitefish stocks. These include substantial reductions in the whitefish quotas off the north west and west of Scotland to such important stocks such as haddock, which has a 23% transfer, megrim, which is a 19% transfer, and monkfish, which is a 20% transfer.

The analysis of reduction of fisheries quota shares document also shows that Ireland contributed approximately 15% of the total value of our 2020 fisheries quotas to the agreement. For other member states, this figure is considerably less. The quota transfers required of Ireland are clearly disproportionate and the outcome is inequitable in terms of burden sharing. The analysis my experts have undertaken and which is published on the Government website clearly demonstrates this inequitable burden placed on Ireland.

Yesterday, I met with Mr. Michel Barnier, the EU fisheries Commissioner, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevicius, and the ministers of the fisheries groups of member states regarding fisheries matters post Brexit. At that meeting, I made it clear that Ireland considers the transfer to the UK as involving a very high share of some of our most important stocks. I pointed out that within the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, Ireland contributes to providing rich fishing grounds for EU member states and our exclusive economic zone provides spawning and nursery grounds on many of the core stocks, which are then shared with the UK and on which the trading co-operation quota package and the Common Fisheries Policy depend. I also strongly expressed my disappointment that the principle of burden sharing with the EU member states has not been adequately respected. I made clear that the inequitable relative contribution of quota share by Ireland is contributing to a strong sense of grievance within our fishing industry and more broadly. I pushed strongly that a mechanism must be found within the European Commission and relevant member states to find solutions. I intend to continue to keep the focus on this situation and use any opportunity available to seek constructive solutions that will help alleviate this unacceptable position.

UK vessels, including Northern Ireland vessels, have had a pattern of landings into Irish ports prior to the UK leaving the EU. Many of these vessels are based in Irish ports despite being registered in Northern Ireland. Following a detailed examination in consultation with the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, I decided to designate five additional Irish ports for UK-registered Northern Ireland vessel landings for both illegal, unregulated and unreported, IUU, legislation and also for North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, NEAFC, requirements. The five new ports designated are Rossaveal, Howth, Greencastle, Rathmullan and Burtonport. These join Killybegs and Castletownbere, which continue to be designated for landings from vessels of any third-country origin. I have notified the European Commission to ensure the necessary notifications and requirements are in place to have these ports operational from the start of February 2021.

Under the new designations, Rossaveal and Howth will be able to accommodate landings of demersal fish from vessels under 26 m and will operate Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Greencastle, Rathmullan and Burtonport will be designated for non-quota species landings from vessels under 18 m and will operate from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday. From 1 January 2021, the United Kingdom is a third country and subject to IUU legislation and NEAFC requirements. This means any UK, including Northern Ireland, registered vessel must comply with third country landing requirements when landing in the EU, including Irish ports, and is a direct result, unfortunately, of Brexit and is included in the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Up until the conclusion of an agreement on the future relationship between the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve, it remained unclear whether Northern Ireland vessels that had access to Irish waters would continue to do so. The designation of these extra ports is an important decision which will allow fishers in small vessels to continue their livelihoods following Brexit. Now more than ever, it is important to support our fishers and fishing communities and do all we can to help them continue their livelihoods.

I will touch on the issue of authorisations to fish in UK waters, and first, on the voisinage arrangements for the zero to six nautical mile zone in Northern Ireland. Last night, I met with Mr. Edwin Poots, the Northern Ireland minister with responsibility for agriculture and fisheries, to discuss the implications the trade and co-operation agreement has had on the fishing industry for both Irish and Northern Irish registered vessels. I have confirmed with the Commission that the voisinagearrangements can continue as before. The new EU-UK Fisheries Act 2020, however, will require Irish vessels to obtain a licence to access the Northern Ireland zero to six nautical mile zone. Northern Ireland vessels will similarly require an authorisation under EU regulations to continue to fish in Ireland's zero to six nautical mile zone.

The work to authorise EU vessels to fish in UK waters before 1 January 2021 was challenging, especially given the short window between the conclusion of the EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement and the start of the new year. My Department has worked closely with the European Commission to ensure that fishing vessels that traditionally fished in UK waters were granted access by the UK authorities. The temporary authorisations granted to 220 vessels expires tonight. Some of the additional data being requested by the UK to issue full licences has caused difficulties and there is uncertainty as to when the UK will issue annual licences for all of the 220 vessels. In order to avoid a situation in which vessels fishing at present in UK waters would be operating without a UK permission, my Department is issuing temporary authorisations for a further three weeks. This arrangement has been agreed between the European Commission and the UK authorities and the UK will publish a list of the vessels operating under the temporary licences. This will give time to ensure that all UK demands are met, that annual licences are issued by the UK and that EU authorisations are issued by my Department.

The focus to date has been on vessels that have in the past two years fished in UK waters or on operators that request an authorisation to fish in UK waters. However, given our geographical proximity to the UK and to its waters, we have sought that all our fleet be granted access by the UK to its waters. My Department will continue to work to maximise the number of vessels granted access and in the most timely manner possible.

On 25 December 2020, the European Commission published a proposal for an EU regulation establishing a Brexit adjustment reserve, BAR. The objective of the proposed BAR is to provide support to counter the adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union in member states, regions and sectors, in particular those that are worst affected by that withdrawal, and to mitigate the related impact on their economic, social and territorial cohesion. The draft regulation is subject to negotiations in the Council and European Parliament and its provisions may change. It is proposed that the BAR would have a budget of €5.37 billion in current prices and that approximately €1 billion would be allocated to Ireland in 2021 as pre-financing to assist Ireland in funding appropriate measures in 2021 and 2022 to assist the worst affected sectors of our economy. Government is aware that our food sector, not least our fisheries sector, is particularly impacted by the outcome of the EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement and is examining how best to deploy Ireland's proposed allocation under the reserve to help our economy adjust to the new arrangements.

I have listened carefully to the representatives of the industry and I have met individual fishermen who are facing a difficult situation. I have reflected on how to ensure that the funding made available to the sector in the BAR is focused to meet the challenges of the sector and of the coastal communities most impacted. I am minded to set up a task force involving seafood industry representatives and representatives of other stakeholders to provide recommendations on the appropriate measures that will best support the sector and the local coastal communities. I intend to set out the arrangements and the terms of reference for this task force later this week. I will ask the task force to immediately focus on possible arrangements for a temporary fleet tie-up scheme to counter the impacts of the reduction in quotas, which will impact from the beginning of April. When the task force has recommended on a tie-up scheme and when that is implemented, it will provide short-term assistance to the fishing vessels most impacted by the quota agreements with the UK, kicking in during the second quarter of the year. I hope the task force will provide recommendations on a range of other actions and measures that will allow the sector and the coastal communities to adjust and develop so as to counter both direct and downstream impacts on the wider seafood sector and coastal communities. I look forward to further engagement with Members during this session and to working with everyone in this sector in the time ahead.

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