Results 21-40 of 85 for sfpa segment:8280260

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Michael Collins: Could Mr. Hayes inform the committee about his appointment as head of the SFPA, having previously worked in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to replace the outgoing Dr. Susan Steele, who sat on the interview panel? How many more candidates were interviewed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: ...and a loss of jobs in my community in Donegal. It could have widespread implications in other areas. The opening statement referred to a campaign of disinformation or misinformation regarding the SFPA and the provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol. Since we are talking about Article 61(1), what is the status of the North regarding Regulation No. 1224/2009?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: So, just as the SFPA is overseeing the weighing of fish in Killybegs, it has responsibility under the regulation to make sure that-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Does the SFPA have the authority in the North?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: ...Protection Authority ensure that the regulations which have nothing to do with it, because the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the North is supposed to do this and the SFPA is not concerned whether fish is being landed in France, Spain or wherever because the SFPA has its job to do in the jurisdiction in which it is the competent authority. How is the authority...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: How is the SFPA notified of whether they are weighed? Or is it notified?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. If there have been 100 landings since the start of the year, how does the SFPA satisfy itself that all the landings have been weighed in the port in which it was landed originally?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: But the SFPA decides then, because the SFPA decided in a case, which is a unique case, to strip away the weighing licence of two operators. This was because, what, loads of publicity because RTÉ was showing up what was happening in this dispute?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: ...Protection Authority satisfy itself whether that is happening or not? It went out of its way in some way to find out that it did not happen. I am not suggesting that it did not happen but the SFPA obviously assumed that it did not happen because as a result of that, it took the weighing licences off two operators in Killybegs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: Okay. On the procedure, the officials have mentioned that it is common for fish to be landed in a jurisdiction and then to be purchased by operators. Basically, the SFPA has intruded in another jurisdiction. Will the witnesses convince the committee that what the SFPA has done is not vindictive as a result of the controversy that is going on in Killybegs, which is very serious? I respect...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: ...and management of those fish stocks is their livelihood. The question I asked is in relation to procedures around landing in Derry. What are the procedures for notification? How has the SFPA identified whether weighing has taken place or not? What are the procedures that alert the SFPA to decide to follow up action in relation to processors which may have purchased fish shore-landed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: We all want an accurate count. Will Mr. Hayes please talk to me about the procedure? Take the context as read. I want an accurate count. I want the SFPA to do its job to make sure that it is an accurate count. Take that as read. I am asking about procedures and then I will come to the weighing mechanisms in Killybegs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: The industry has made an offer to the SFPA that it will purchase it or gift it to the SFPA, is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

...on the lead up to the control plan being agreed last December. On 9 December, in the lead up to the control plan being agreed last December, there was a meeting between the industry and the SFPA where it was pointed out that one of the conditions that the Commission was insisting on was that the weighing device would be non-industry owned and non-industry operated. On 4 February, there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Mr. Paschal Hayes: At all points in the process the SFPA made it clear that to be compliant with the control plan the 5% controlled weighing on landing had to be carried out on a non-industry owned and non-industry operated device such as a weighbridge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: I am fully aware of that. If the industry was willing to either lease, sell or gift the machinery, notwithstanding the complexities that have been outlined, would the SFPA be able to operate that and, therefore, allow for that 5% to be weighed using that mechanism on the pier?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pearse Doherty: To save jobs, help the industry and make sure that vessels do not turn away from Ireland, would the SFPA consider the option as a compromise? If the Department or a charity owned it would the SFPA be happy then to have it calibrated and use that as an option? There are two options. Would the SFPA be willing to use that as an option if it was not industry owned?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The European Commission, in its recent statistics, rated Ireland as the most compliant member state in the EU in terms of fishery regulations. Does the SFPA agree with that rating? Is it correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: So the SFPA is not aware that Ireland is the most compliant member state in the EU in terms of fishery regulation. Is that what Mr. Hayes is saying on the record?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Weighing of Fisheries Products: Discussion (18 May 2022)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I did not ask about that. Can the SFPA confirm whether Ireland is the most compliant in the EU? Surely the SFPA must know that.