Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

88. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his plan to save the fishing and seafood industry from the impact of the proposed devastating cuts to the mackerel, blue whiting and boarfish quotas; and the financial aid that will be provided to the affected businesses and workers. [54988/25]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister of State and I had an extensive engagement at the fisheries committee earlier today. These proposals are devastating. There is a 70% cut to the recommended mackerel TAC, 41% for blue whiting and 22% for boarfish while a zero TAC is recommended for cod, haddock and whiting. I would like to engage with the Minister of State on the Government's plan.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I know the Deputy has a significant interest in this area. He has been in regular contact with me about the matter. As he will know, on 30 September, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea published its advice for widely distributed pelagic stocks for 2026. The ICES advice forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing total allowable catches and informs the EU's negotiating position for consultations with third countries such as the UK. As the Deputy has identified, the advice suggests a reduction of 70% for mackerel, 41% for blue whiting and 22% for boarfish. The scale of the reduction in the ICES-recommended total allowable catches for these important pelagic stocks is deeply concerning and will impact significantly on the Irish seafood sector.

Ireland has repeatedly raised the overfishing of mackerel by some coastal states outside the EU over recent years. I will continue to highlight this critical issue for our fishermen and fisherwomen and to engage intensively with the European Commissioner for fisheries and other member states on possible actions to protect our stocks.

I met with concerned fishermen and fisherwomen in Killybegs on Sunday, 5 October, to hear their concerns regarding the advice. Last week, I met with relevant stakeholder groups as part of the annual sustainability impact assessment process. I also attended the committee today to discuss the same issue. That meeting with stakeholders provided a further opportunity to discuss the scientific advice and other challenges facing the sector. The Deputy knows those other challenges because he has identified them. The sustainability impact assessment, which involves a public consultation process along with expert contributions from the Marine Institute and BIM, is an essential step in Ireland’s preparation for the fishing opportunity negotiations. I presented the assessment to the Oireachtas joint committee today.

The programme for Government emphasises the valuable role of fisheries in the future of our country and the communities that rely on this activity for their livelihood. I will be engaging further with stakeholders at this critical time to ensure their interests are robustly represented at domestic, European and international level. I assure the Deputy that I am committed to working closely across Government Departments to assess what supports may be available to the seafood sector in the context of EU state aid rules and within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding. To this end, I have had initial discussions with the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As he was coming before the committee, the Minister of State will not have had a chance to hear the contributions from the fish producer organisations and the representative of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association. In all of my time, I have never seen it worse. I have been in politics for 23.5 years, representing the fishing communities around me. In all those years, I have never seen a worse situation presented. The term "economic Armageddon" was used today. Every single witness said this is the worst scenario they could ever have thought of. Why is that? Over 1 million tonnes - I had to read that again to make sure I was right - of mackerel above what was recommended in the scientific advice have been caught. Unbelievable recklessness and greed have led us to this. It has to stop. Those parties, whether corporations based in the European Union or in other countries, have to stop. They have to pay a price and we need to find a solution to save our industry.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy is right. Over the past five years, 1 million tonnes more than advised was caught. If you go back over ten years, I believe it would be 2 million. It has been consistent. The Union has accepted it and, as a result, we are seeing destruction prevail. The word "Armageddon" has been used and it is hard not to accept that when you consider the impact on Ireland, particularly with regard to pelagic stock and the loss of 26% of our mackerel quota in the Brexit negotiations. Those negotiations were difficult and had a very significant negative impact. Last year, we had a 20% cut in our mackerel quota based on scientific advice. These two losses combined were significant. This year, the remainder is to be cut by 70%. In my view, it is not an exaggeration to use the word "Armageddon". It is a clear reality. The responsibility on Government now is to move quickly to secure what we can at European level at the December meeting of the Council and to determine how best to give direction to the sector as to how we are going to manage the allocation of the quota with Norway. We can then look at what supports are available within the significant restraints imposed by state aid rules. I look forward to working with the Deputy and others on this matter.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This has to be the moment where everything changes. This has to be a radical reset of the operation of the Common Fisheries Policy. The policy talks about climate change, sustainability and those communities closest to fisheries benefiting from them. We need to expose how all of that amounts to nothing. This is apparently four times worse than what happened to us after Brexit. Brexit was an absolute disaster for our fishing communities. That is why the Brexit adjustment reserve fund was put in place. We are going to need to fight for the maximum amount of fish but we also need to look at the whole Common Fisheries Policy and this relative stability whereby it stays the same every year and nothing changes. People are looking at our waters and we are just not getting our fair share of fish. There has to be a reaction to deal with the utter failure of the European Commission to deal with some of those most reckless actions in the history of fishing. It is unbelievably stupid and self-defeating to wreck a precious fishery like mackerel, which belongs to all of us, from the spawning grounds off the west of Ireland right up those Atlantic coasts. The level of greed and recklessness is off the scale. They have to pay a price. It has to stop. This has to lead to a change in our approach to the whole issue of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As the Deputy will know, a review of the Common Fisheries Policy has been initiated. That may lead to changes in time. The issue of Norway's unilateral grab of quota certainly has to be prosecuted outside of DG MARE and the discussions around fish quotas. It is often raised with me by those within the sector that, where mackerel is used as a feedstock for the production of fishmeal, it finds its way back into the European market through tariff-free salmon from Norway. That is anathema to how we should be managing our resources. Wider discussions will have to take place across various different directorates. I know colleagues are discussing this issue at Government level. We need to come forward with a whole-of-government response rather than a response from the silo of fisheries alone.