Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, during his recent meeting with EU Fisheries Commissioner, Ms Maria Damanaki, he has received an indication regarding the date on which planned reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy will come into effect; and if the Commissioner has accepted his invitation to meet Irish fishing industry representatives of coastal communities. [8982/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I met with Maria Damanaki European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Luxembourg on Thursday 14 April. I invited the Commissioner to visit Ireland to meet the fishing industry and hear at first hand their concerns and their views on the reform. I will issue a formal invitation to the Commissioner in the coming days. The Commissioner indicated her willingness to accept this invitation.

The purpose of the meeting, which was convened at my request, was primarily to discuss the planned reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The ongoing development of our seafood sector and job creation in our coastal communities was central to my message. The meeting itself was cordial and I believe sets a foundation for a good working relationship with Commissioner into the future.

A major priority for me in the Reform is the retention of the Hague Preferences, agreed by Heads of State in 1976 by way of the Hague Resolution, under which Ireland receives additional shares of quotas for the whitefish stocks around our coast. There was been strong pressure from certain Member States that these should be abolished in the Reform. I made it very clear that any interference that results in Ireland losing the current benefits of the Hague Preferences within the reformed CFP would be totally unacceptable to me. The Hague Preferences were the payment made for Ireland granting access to our waters to other Member States and a recognition of the high costs involved for the State in the control of these rich fishing grounds and they must be maintained in the new CFP.

I set out Ireland's opposition to the mandatory privatisation of fish quotas which the Commissioner advised would form a key element of the Commission's proposals for reform. I outlined the impacts of this policy on Ireland's coastal communities dependant on fisheries. I used the opportunity to explain why Ireland is strongly opposing a mandatory scheme for privatisation and trading of fish quota. I explained that the family owned fishing fleet in Ireland would be quickly bought out by international fishing companies without links to the coastal communities. I explained my strong belief that these companies would not land into Ireland and we would lose not just the jobs in the fleet but also the processing and ancillary jobs in our fishing ports.

Commissioner Damanaki has placed discarding of fish high on her agenda for the CFP reform. I made clear that I am committed to giving Ireland's support to assisting the Commissioner in identifying and implementing the appropriate measures to effectively address discards.

In addition to the issues surrounding the CFP reform, I made very clear Ireland's demand for strong actions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands for their irresponsible and untenable fishing activities on the mackerel stock. The actions of these two fishing nations pose a serious threat to the well being of the mackerel stock which is very important to Ireland. I pressed the Commissioner to initiate strong action now, including the introduction of trade sanctions to bring pressure to bear on these two parties to come to the table with reasonable demands and agree a long term management framework for mackerel.

I will continue to liaise closely with the Federation of Irish Fishermen and other industry representatives to further develop Ireland's negotiating position. I consider that this meeting with Commissioner Damanaki was very useful in giving her a full understanding of Ireland's situation and the importance of the maintenance of a strong fishing industry supporting the fishing communities around our coast.

With regard to timelines, the Commissioner advised that she plans to publish the draft regulatory proposals before the summer break. The planned adoption time is the end of 2012.

Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a definitive estimation of the number of jobs which could potentially be lost in Irish fleets, as well as in processing and ancillary jobs in the country's fishing ports as a result of the mandatory scheme for privatisation and trading of fish quotas. [8983/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Proposals for the introduction of mandatory privatisation of fish quotas, or Individual Transferable Quota's (ITQs), as part of a reformed Common Fisheries Policy pose, I strongly believe, a substantial threat to the future of Ireland's fisheries and broader seafood sector. In the context of determining Ireland's position, the Irish fishing industry has made clear and has re-affirmed to me directly at a recent meeting, that it opposes the introduction of an ITQ system for Irish fisheries management. This does not mean that there is not scope to amend current national quota management arrangement. I am fully open to proposals in this regard, with a view to giving industry a larger role.

Ireland is a small island nation, on the periphery of Europe, with the dependencies all islands have on the broader marine related sphere, of which fisheries is an integral and essential component. My overarching goal is for a sustainable, profitable and self reliant industry that protects and enhances the social and economic fabric of rural coastal communities dependent on the seafood sector, while balancing these objectives with the need to deliver a sustainable and eco centred fisheries landscape for future generations.

While ITQ's may work for some Member States, they are not, I believe, suitable for the unique dynamic in the Irish fishing sector, where we have a network of small rural coastal communities dependant on our fishing fleet, large and small, demersal and pelagic. The Irish fishing fleet is for the most part made up of family owned vessels with strong links to their home ports. These families have a long tradition in fishing with generations succeeding each other into the industry.

I have no doubt that if mandatory ITQs are put in place, our quotas for both whitefish and pelagic will be purchased by large European fishing conglomerates, with no socio or economic links to our ports, and landed elsewhere, with the resultant loss of jobs and economic activity around our coast. For Ireland, this scenario would, I consider, wipe out our national fishing industry and we will not get the benefit from the rich fisheries resources in the waters around our coasts.

To put in perspective much of the employment on shore in the seafood sector is generated by landings to Ireland by Irish vessels of all sizes. This activity delivers approximately 5,000 jobs in our fleet, with another 2,900 employed in our processing plants with around 1,200 employed in ancillary support industries. These jobs are dependent on Irish quotas being landed into Irish ports. Any change to this would seriously jeopardise the ongoing viability of these jobs with disastrous consequences. In any economic environment a risk of this magnitude to these opportunities cannot and will, most definitely, not be supported. I had the opportunity to meet with Commissioner Damanaki in Luxembourg on the 14 April, and ITQs were high on the agenda. She is now in no doubt as to my level of opposition to any such proposals, and while our meeting was both fruitful and productive on a number of fronts I expect some hard negotiations ahead before this issue is resolved.

I will of course continue to engage with the Federation of Irish Fishermen and other stakeholders over the coming months, to both strengthen my negotiating position but also to develop a multi pronged lobbying strategy in Europe to reinforce Ireland's stance, and garner support from other like-minded Member States.