Written answers

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of Gerald NashGerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

661. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the basis of the proposed payment rate for the Covid-19 voluntary fleet tie-up scheme; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the scheme is not sufficient to meet the loss of business and debts of fishermen affected; if he will convene a fresh round of talks with representatives of the fishing sector relating to the scheme and broader sectorial issues caused by Covid-19 and Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7546/20]

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

663. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that the level of financial support being offered to owners of fishing vessels to support them through the Covid-19 crisis compares favourably with the financial supports being offered by other EU states and the UK Government. [7606/20]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 661 and 663 together.

The Government’s primary objective for the fishing sector throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic has been to maintain fishing activity in order to ensure critical food supply lines to the domestic and European markets. For this reason, from the outset the Government classified fishing as an essential service and kept the fishery harbours and related support services open throughout the Pandemic. This remains the primary Government objective in relation to the fishing sector.

There has been significant and sustained offshore fishing activity by the Irish fleet over the past three months. This has been helped by the fact that the price of oil, a critical cost factor for the fleet, has reduced dramatically. Together with good fishing weather, these factors have greatly assisted the viability of fishing operations, notwithstanding reduced market prices for fish.

The Covid-19 Temporary Fleet Tie up Scheme is simply designed as a safety net scheme to provide a further option to fishermen who choose not to continue fishing. It is not designed as a replacement for viable fishing activity, wherever those possibilities exist. To date, most Irish offshore fishing vessels have continued to fish. As European and Asian markets gradually begin to open up, as is happening at present, it is likely that demand and prices will continue to improve and, in those circumstances, many fishermen will continue to choose to fish and not to avail of the scheme. The Temporary Tie up Scheme, as a safety net scheme, is not designed to attract all fishermen or to bring all fishing activity to a halt.

Fishermen have been and will continue to be able to avail of the horizontal Government Covid-19 supports, such as the Pandemic Unemployment Benefit, the Wage Subsidy Scheme and the banking arrangements. Those horizontal supports continue to be available to the fishing sector and the Temporary Tie up Scheme is a further complementary and additional support to fishermen who choose not to continue fishing. The Scheme is not intended as an income replacement scheme for fishing vessel owners. The Scheme is intended to contribute towards the fixed costs associated with fishing vessels of various sizes that voluntarily choose to tie-up. The supports to fixed costs available under the Scheme range from €6,000 per month for a maximum of two months for the very largest vessels over 24 metres to €500 per month for a maximum of two months for the very smallest vessels under 6 metres in length. Those support levels are in line with the fixed costs reported by the fleet to BIM through the EU Data Collection Framework.

It is up to each fishing vessel owner to decide whether to tie-up for a month or two or to keep fishing and in line with the Government policy of keeping the food chain operating. It is, of course, preferable that the supply of fish continues to satisfy available markets.

In general, fishing vessel owners want their vessels to be at sea and fishing. The Scheme was capped at a maximum of 66% of each vessel size category in the fleet to ensure a continued level of fishing activity. To assist the continuation of fishing activity over the coming period, generous vessel quota allocations are being made for the month of June.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.