Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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457. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set down the number of bilateral meetings he has had with European counterparts regarding fishing quotas and safeguarding Irish fishing interests ahead of the fisheries Council of Ministers meeting. [40889/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The December EU Fisheries Council Meeting which concluded in the early hours of Wednesday morning this week consisted of two very challenging days of intensive negotiations setting the TAC and quota for fish stocks for 2017. My primary aim from the outset was to achieve an outcome that protected the overall interests of the Irish fishing industry while respecting the most up-to-date scientific advice for stocks of critical importance to our fleets. I am pleased that we have secured a good deal for Irish fishermen at the EU Fisheries Council that will support our fishing industry over the coming year and which is sustainable in terms of the fish stocks on which we are dependant.

In order to inform negotiations at the December Fisheries Council, I had an assessment of the impacts of the Commission proposal for Total Allowable Catches and quotas for 2017 undertaken. To facilitate and inform these deliberations, an open consultation process was put in place, whereby stakeholders were asked to submit their comments and observations on the Commission proposal for fishing opportunities for 2017.

In the run up to Council I had separate bilateral meetings with my French and Northern Ireland counterparts as the key players concerning stocks of interest to the Irish fleets. There were also meetings at official level with France, UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain in advance of December Council. In particular, I worked closely with Michelle McIlveen of Northern Ireland and we submitted a joint proposal concerning our most important demersal fishery, prawns. This joint paper was, I believe, instrumental in overturning the original commission proposal and producing a 9% increase in this very valuable stock.

At the Council itself I had a series of meetings with a range of relevant Minsters and, of course, Commissioner Vella and the Slovakian Presidency. With regard to the latter, I was able to explain the history and huge importance of the Hague preferences and to ensure their support in resisting any attempts to dilute the application of the preferences.

In the end, I secured 233,500 tonnes of quotas worth €280 million for Irish fishermen for 2017. This represents an increase of 17,390 tonnes over 2016 and a 6% increase by value. I am satisfied that I have managed to turn an extremely worrying set of proposals from the Commission into a much improved outcome for the Irish fishing industry.