Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Ar an chéad dul síos, is mian liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl d’Oifig an Cheann Comhairle as ucht na ceiste seo a ardú mar Shaincheist Thráthúil ag an am seo anocht.

I refer to the question of a reduction in pelagic quotas - there are demersal quotas - in particular mackerel, blue whiting and boarfish. Drastic reductions were recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, for 2026. I repeat my gratitude to the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine, Deputy Timmy Dooley, for responding to a request to meet an organisation in Killybegs on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago. Fishermen from Donegal, Galway and the south west were present and the Minister of State listened attentively to all of them. It was not his first visit – I understand it was his sixth visit to Killybegs within a short time.

Producers and processors made very clear to him the detrimental effects of the proposed quotas. Over the past number of years, Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and, to an extent since Brexit, the UK, have fished 1 million tonnes of mackerel. In some years, Norway alone overfishes its quota by 55%. This has led directly to a proposal from ICES to reduce the total allowable catch of mackerel by 70%, blue whiting by 41% and boarfish by 22%. This has the potential to cost Ireland over €150 million in lost catches at the first point of sale. Of course, with the added value the figure would be much greater than that.

Our catching sector is facing the biggest cuts in its history in real terms in 2026. It is equivalent to the cumulative impact of four years of Brexit. While Ireland generally was pleased that Brexit got over the line, once more the fishing industry suffered as a result. I met Michel Barnier, who negotiated at the time, and told him in this House, in the dining room, that I was extremely concerned for the future of the fishing industry. He looked me straight in the eye and said I could take it that it would not be affected because fishing and trade would be inextricably linked. I believed the man.

Of course, I advocated at the time that we should have threatened to veto Brexit because of the implications for the fishing industry. That was not a popular thing to do at the time. There was a bigger picture. Had we threatened to do that at the time, I have no doubt that there would not have been such drastic reductions in those quotas as a result of Brexit. It is a very serious situation for the country, in particular the most peripheral parts where there are no alternative sources of employment.

I know the Minister of State will do his utmost and will hold bilateral meetings with many other countries in Europe. We must ensure that we convince Europe to put sanctions in place for the sale of fish from Norway into the European Union. I will deal with that later.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Gallagher for raising this important issue. I also thank him for his guidance through this. As somebody with vast experience of the sector and an intimate knowledge at European level, he has been a source of good and wise counsel to me over recent months on this issue. He has identified the scientific advice now providing the backdrop to this and which will guide the total allowable catch for the pelagic sector for 2026, which was released on 30 September.

I am acutely aware of the scale these reductions will have and the grave concerns for the seafood sector as a result, in particular in coastal communities which are so dependent on fishing from an economic and socioeconomic perspective. Killybegs is one of the prime examples of a fishing community that has developed the sector well through the foresight and ingenuity of some great people from a different era and made it what it is. It now sees a life's work and generational work counting for naught if this continues.

From what the Deputy has said and from what we are all aware of, it is very clear that an unfortunate situation has been allowed to develop. A number of coastal states, of which Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands form a trio, have, through the unilateral allocation of quotas, engaged in a considerable amount of overfishing. Elements of the industry would indicate that over the past five years about 1 million tonnes have been fished above what would be acceptable based on scientific advice. That has had a huge impact on fish stocks.

As the Deputy said, I met fishermen, fisherwomen and other interested parties in Killybegs on 5 October. On 8 October, I met relevant stakeholder groups as part of the annual sustainability impact assessment process. This provided a further opportunity to discuss that scientific advice. At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in June and again in September, I highlighted Ireland's concerns regarding Norway's action in setting excessive and unsustainable mackerel quotas. I made it clear to the Commissioner and other member states that we need to take action to protect this important stock and send a clear message that actions that threaten the sustainability of our shared stocks are not acceptable to the EU.

The programme for Government recognises the valuable role fisheries will play in the future of this country and in the communities that rely on this activity for their livelihood. Furthermore, it notes the commitment of the Government to defend Irish interests in the context of further negotiations between the EU and third countries.

Last week, I presented that sustainability impact assessment to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to provide clear discussion at parliamentary level. We will have a debate on the issue here tomorrow. The assessment involved a public consultation process. Along with expert contributions from the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, this is an essential step in Ireland's preparations for the autumn negotiation on fishing opportunities for the forthcoming year.

The sustainability impact assessment highlights the potential for significant impacts on the Irish fishing industry. I am committed to working across Departments to assess what supports may be available to the seafood sector at this very difficult time. I am conscious that fishermen and fisherwomen are not looking for handouts. They would far prefer to be getting fish to catch, process and sell to end users.

I have had discussions with the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans. I have obviously spoken to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to explore options within the constraints of EU and national Exchequer funding and the relevant EU and national legislation, in particular taking account of constraints imposed by EU state aid rules.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Europe has been weak in coastal states. The very same Norway will attempt to gain access to fish blue whiting west of Ireland in the next number of weeks. We must oppose that completely and convince Europe to support us in the actions the Minister will take. Market access and trade restrictions for fish products need to be fully applied against Norway, as well as the Faroe Islands and Iceland. That can be done under regulation 1026/2012. It needs to be fully applied by the Commission.

We cannot have these coastal states destroying a shared fishery and expect to have zero consequences. The damage has been done and I can say hand on heart that in my years involved in fish processing and as Minister of State and as a TD for Donegal and Killybegs, they have complied fully with the restrictions and the regulations that have been laid down, whereas these other countries have fished indiscriminately and, as a result, we now find ourselves in the situation we are suffering. The European Union must apply the necessary sanctions under Regulation 1026/2012 and hopefully then they will come to the realisation they cannot continue like this.

Brexit hurt us and the TAC costs our fishermen in the region of €220 million. It is not all about the fishermen alone; it is about the many who work in the factories to supplement their other income from small farming. It is just a disaster and I do not think anyone fully appreciates this. It is for everyone in Government and the Minister in particular, and if it has to go to the European Council then so be it. It is too serious for Ireland to sit back and accept the consequences. I wish the Minister of State well in his endeavours.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Gallagher for his continued support. I have made it very clear to officials who negotiate on our behalf in advance of Council meetings that it cannot be business as usual. Today I instructed officials to vote against any access to blue whiting in European waters for Norway. I intend to maintain this position throughout. I accept we do not have a veto and that a blocking minority will be difficult. Notwithstanding this, we have to make it very clear, particularly as a country that will suffer most as a result of this overfishing and this unilateral allocation of quota, that we cannot allow a state that has robbed us of our breakfast, lunch and tea to expect we should hand it something in return. I do not believe this is acceptable or appropriate. We have to begin a process of a wider trade issue between the European Union and Norway in particular.

Since my appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine, I have sought every opportunity to engage with all the stakeholders directly and I will continue to work with fishermen and women, processors, co-operatives and aquacultural operators to build a sustainable future for Ireland's fishing industry, which has shown itself to be resilient in the face of unprecedented challenges. I am also conscious it will require the wider support of the Government and to this extent, as I have said, I have spoken to a number of colleagues. It is my intention to prepare initially a memorandum of information for Government, which the Minister, Deputy Heydon, will forward and address at Cabinet level. I am looking forward to continued engagement here tomorrow as we have set aside three and a half hours to discuss this very issue. The Government remains committed to assisting the sector and recognises the significant threat and challenges we face.