Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in the course of discussions with EU fisheries Ministers in Luxembourg last week with regard to the Irish fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25542/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg last week had a heavy agenda of fisheries items which were of importance to the Irish fishing industry. I attended the meeting with my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and forestry, Deputy Killeen.

In the run-up to, and during, the Council, the Minister of State and I had a series of meetings with the Federation of Irish Fishermen regarding the difficult issues facing the Irish fishing industry such as rising fuel costs, low prices at the quayside for fish, competition from cheap imports of fish, the effects of illegal, unrecorded and unregulated fishing and quota restrictions due to declining fish stocks. We also met EU Commissioner Borg on a bilateral basis the week before the Council and made a strong case for the need for a package of EU-funded measures to address the difficulties faced by fishermen across Europe but in Ireland, in particular, and to set out other priority issues for Ireland.

Three significant regulations achieved political approval at the Council. A proposal was agreed for a Council regulation establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, commonly referred to as IUU. This important measure will address the high incidence of illegal fishing and significantly will tackle the marketing of fish and fishery products acquired through illegal fishing. After this measure comes into force in early 2010, all fishery products will require a certificate that they have been caught legally before they can be imported into the Community. This is a major regulation which has much international focus on its success and will represent good news for legal fishermen, as it will remove illegal products from the market. Ireland strongly supported this measure at the Council and also called for the Commission to develop effective labelling schemes in order that consumers can play a role by making an informed choice.

Political agreement was also achieved on a Council regulation on fishing authorisations for Community vessels in third country waters and third country vessels in Community waters, which is important to Ireland, given that we have responsibility for control of large fishing grounds. The third regulation agreed is a Council regulation on the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the high seas from the adverse impacts of bottom fishing gears, which follows on from a UN resolution.

The annual setting of total allowable catches and quotas is an important process for Irish fishermen and I will press for the maximum possible allocations for Irish fishermen during the negotiations taking into account the scientific advice on the state of stocks. Another agenda point was a joint request by Ireland, France and Britain for a mid-year increase in the 2008 total allowable catch for cod in the Celtic Sea, based on jointly submitted scientific advice from our respective marine research institutes indicating positive developments in the state of the stock.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

This is an important issue for our fishermen as Ireland's 2008 quota is almost gone and the fishery must be closed soon. As cod is taken in a mixed fishery, its closure inevitably will lead to discarding, which cannot be justified. After strong pressure from Ireland, France and the United Kingdom, the Commission agreed to consider proposing a increase in the 2008 total allowable catch, if the latest scientific advice, due out at the end of last month, is sufficiently positive.

A further significant point for Ireland was the renewal of the fisheries partnership agreement with Mauritania which provides fishing opportunities for Community vessels in Mauritanian waters for the next four years. These opportunities are mainly of interest to our pelagic fleet.

The most immediately significant agenda item concerned the crisis in the European fishing industry and, in particular, the effects of the recent rapid increases in fuel costs. Ireland, together with all the other affected member states, conveyed in the strongest terms the depth of feeling of our fishermen on these issues and the seriousness of the situation facing them which has led to public protests across Europe, including Ireland.

Commissioner Borg stated he had listened carefully to the case made both in the lead-up to and at the Council and undertook to come to the next Council meeting on 15 July with a package of emergency measures to try to alleviate the crisis. He has flagged that these measures will be based on a commitment to addressing the over-capacity and over-exploitation issues in the long term. However, in the short term they may include funding of partial decommissioning to replace older vessels with more energy efficient ones, temporary cessation aid for vessels involved in such schemes, modifications to the de minimis aid rules, reductions in social security contributions for employees, support for research into fuel efficiency and the shift to energy-efficient technologies, as well as marketing measures to address the prices achieved at first point of sale, that is, the quayside. At the Council we pressed for additional EU funding to be made available and I made it clear that the package must include additional EU funding to provide for the implementation of these measures.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for a comprehensive reply. This pertains to the seafood industry which is worth up to €800 million and which certainly has been suffering significant and devastating consequences. In particular, I refer to the impact on the approximately 12,000 people employed in coastal communities. It surely behoves Ireland to make an all-out effort to deliver a profitable and sustainable industry. The Minister is aware that many fishermen face complete economic ruin in the absence of a significant intervention, rather than a token gesture, to save coastal communities.

The Minister is aware that the industry has sustained a series of changes, all impacted over a short period, but even prior to the fuel price increases many were finding it difficult to operate. Many had the idea of converting borrowings into long-terms loans but will financial institutions do that now? Will the Minister agree that the people who bring in the catch are the price takers? They do not come up with the price and they are not in a position to pass on any costs in that regard.

Why can we as a country not intervene directly and render assistance, as other countries do? This is part of the European debate. The French can do what they like. The Spanish Government can intervene when it deems it necessary to do so but we are always the great white knights who obey every rule, and it is one of the reasons the Lisbon treaty referendum was defeated. Our problem is that we are too subservient.

The Minister met the fishermen and the representatives in Athlone. They sought a temporary tie-up scheme, which is allowed under the European fisheries fund. That should not be given as an excuse. What is the position on the control of fish imports and anti-dumping measures the Minister referred to? We all saw what happened at the cargo terminal in Cork, which was a frightening scenario. Why can we not market the fish, which is vital from a health perspective?

What is the position on the commitment to provide the decommissioning scheme for 80 m vessels? Where is the €58 million that was provided for that scheme?

As an island nation we should take a pivotal role in responding to the current crisis. The European Commission made promises and gave various commitments but that is like the acorn seed. It takes years for the oak tree to grow. How long will it take the Council of Ministers to deliver? What input will this country have to try to secure and save an industry that is extremely important, even for those of us in the midlands? It is important for the country. We call upon the Minister to intervene and take every step to ensure the security and future of this important industry.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As Deputy Penrose said, I had a long and detailed meeting with the Federation of Irish Fishermen in his home county of Westmeath a number of weeks ago. In the meantime, both the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, our officials and myself had the opportunity to meet its members on a number of occasions and both before and after the Council of Ministers meeting.

One of the issues highlighted to us is that the fisherman is always price taking and that in recent times the actual price they have been getting for the product has decreased whereas for the consumer the price of the end product, whether it is in a restaurant, a supermarket or whatever, had increased.

In that regard, following the meeting in Athlone we established immediately a national Irish seafood market initiative, which was one of the issues we put to the federation that day, under the chair of the chief executive officer of Bord Iascaigh Mhara. The remit of the initiative will be to discuss, identify and maximise the opportunities for domestic seafood supply to the Irish seafood market. The objective is to bring the producers, fishermen, wholesalers, distributors and processors together to ensure that the producers and market suppliers communicate with the industry to ensure that everybody gets a fair price in the chain of production and processing.

Shortly after I was appointed to this office I made contact with Commissioner Borg. I had in excess of a 30 minute detailed telephone conversation with him. Subsequently, the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, and I met him in advance of the Council of Fisheries Ministers meetings. We outlined to him, as Deputy Penrose pinpointed, and others in the House a week ago during the debate, the serious issues facing the industry. We outlined those issues cogently and strongly to the Commissioner at our bilateral meeting. That was followed up subsequently at our Council of Ministers meetings where both the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, and I spoke about all those important issues.

In view of the fact that as a Common Fisheries Policy we put strong pressure and proposals to the Commission to bring forward an EU funded package of measures, a number of initiatives have been taken. To answer Deputy Penrose's question about when the Commission will come back on the issue, Commissioner Borg said he will come back at the Council of Ministers meeting, which is the 15 July, on foot of the deliberations of the Council meeting a week ago. We let him know in no uncertain terms, however, the serious situation facing so many fishermen.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I want to ask two brief questions. The Minister mentioned the Common Fisheries Policy. What efforts are being made to level the playing field from the perspective of control and enforcement across all member states to ensure that penalties imposed are harmonised and that Irish fishermen are not discriminated against? Has any progress been made in investigating the discriminatory ban on Irish commercial vessels landing sea bass, which does not apply to other EU states fishing in Irish waters?

Also, is any extra funding available to be directed without delay to investigation of and research into alternatives to diesel for fishing boats? The Leas-Cheann Comhairle got a communication from a fisherman in Kilmore Quay who said that if this is not done, there will shortly be no white fish to market because it will not be cost effective to catch it. He said that is not exaggeration or a case of fishermen whinging and that we should investigate now for the future.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Regarding the latter points, as I mentioned earlier, the IUU regulation has been adopted at the Fisheries Council.

Regarding a level playing field, we secured a commitment from Commissioner Borg that he would examine a specific proposal from Ireland that would help strengthen the tools available to coastal states such as Ireland to control fishing activity in our exclusive fishery zones. Ministers are seeking in particular that the coastal member state has access to the quota limits applying to any Community vessels fishing in its waters. Currently, our authorities do not have access to get the relevant details on a vessel from another EU state. That is a lacuna in the EU regulations and it is one of the proposals we put to Commissioner Borg.

Deputy Penrose asked about decommissioning. The Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, announced a week ago that the offers have gone out regarding the decommissioning scheme.

Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Again.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That concludes the time for this question.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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No. The offers have gone out to the individual vessel owners. A total of €42 million has gone out——

Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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It was €58 million.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Not a brown penny for the deckhands.

Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is lucky he is not dealing with Deputy P.J. Sheehan.