Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 390: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the tonnage of fish being imported into Ireland; the locations from where they are imported; the regulations in place to monitor the amount of fish being imported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25803/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In 2007 imports of seafood for human consumption amounted to 45,170 tonnes. The chief location of origin for seafood imports in 2007 was the United Kingdom, which supplied 21,660 tonnes of product or almost half of the volume imported. The other locations of origin were Germany accounting for 2,440 tonnes valued at €12 million, Iceland at 1,022 tonnes valued at €7.8 million, France at 1,212 tonnes valued at €5.8 million, Denmark at 867 tonnes valued at €4.5 million, the Netherlands at 1107 tonnes valued at €3.5 million and the Faroe Islands at 340 tonnes valued at €1.6 million. In value terms the United Kingdom accounted for just less than 60% of total seafood imports in 2007 at €99 million.

There is free circulation of food within the EU which means that food produced in the EU under EU food safety legislation can move freely throughout other member states without going through import checks except in the cases where some specific national controls apply for food safety reasons. Regulation (EC) No 882 /2004 sets out the official controls to be performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules.