Seanad debates
Thursday, 21 November 2002
Fisheries (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage.
I am not saying that the EEC has solved all our problems, but it has operated a policy designed specifically to be of benefit to the fishing industry and especially fishermen. Funding was received for harbour investment, training, management and processing, which I will not go into because it is a whole new development. Thousands of people – a total of 25,000 was mentioned earlier – are involved in an industry which employed very few and was bankrupt when we joined the EEC. People who make glib comments in the House about selling out our resources to the EU, the Spaniards or anyone else ought to keep in mind the traditional pattern of fishing we had here, based on the old London Convention. I was involved in the final negotiations on the Common Fisheries Policy in 1982. It had not been completed when I left but it was finalised by Mr. Paddy O'Toole, who succeeded me as Minister for Fisheries and Forestry. The CFP is being reviewed this year.
No comments