Written answers

Wednesday, 27 January 2021

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Ports Policy

Photo of Matt ShanahanMatt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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895. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Dunmore East Harbour will be added to the list of designated approved ports for UK registered vessels to land fish in Ireland in view of the fact the Dunmore East has fish processing facilities and fishery protection officers on site and also given its proximity to sudden fishing grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3970/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Following consultation with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, I have decided to designate five additional Irish ports, for both Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) legislation and North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) purposes, to accept UK registered-Northern Ireland vessel landings.

The five new ports designated are Ros a Mhíl, Howth, Greencastle, Rathmullen and Burtonport for UK registered Northern Ireland vessels and join Killybegs and Castletownbere which continue to be designated for landings from vessels of any third country origin. Under the new designations, Ros a Mhíl and Howth will be able to accommodate landings of demersal stocks from vessels under 26 metres and will operate Monday to Friday from 10am to 10pm. Greencastle, Rathmullen and Burtonport will be designated for non-quota species landings from vessels under 18 metres and will operate from 2pm to 8pm from Monday to Friday.

There are significant practical and cost implications for the State in the designation of EU ports for Third Country landings as, under EU Regulations, such designations represent an entry point to the European Union following which food is free to circulate within the full EU common market. On this basis for any ports designated, Ireland is obliged to ensure that it has in place a meaningful control presence. I have requested the SFPA to review the costs and resource demands arising in the event of further designations.

In 2018, there were 15 landings of UK vessels into Dunmore East. This was reduced to 9 landings in 2019. Over these two years, only 318 tonnes of fish were landed into this port by UK vessels. At this point, Dunmore East has not been designated but this will be kept under review.

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