Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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2015. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his discussions with his European Union counterparts regarding the expected 15% reduction in fish landed in Ireland as a result of the recent Brexit deal and the inequity of Ireland having the largest proportion transferred among involved EU states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15267/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) will, unfortunately, have an impact on our fishing industry. However, this impact would have been far greater had the Barnier Task Force agreed to UK demands, or had we been in a no-deal scenario which would have seen all EU vessels barred from UK waters and subsequent displacement into Ireland's fishing zone. 

The fisheries quota transfers to the UK, agreed as part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the UK, will have impacts on certain segments of our fishing fleet, and on marine support services and coastal communities dependent on fishing.   The quota reductions for Ireland are disproportionate compared to other Member States and will lead to an estimated loss of €43 million per year in fish quotas when the reductions are fully phased in by 2026.  Some of the quota reductions will begin to be felt by our fishing industry when the full annual EU quotas for 2021 are determined shortly.  

I wish to assure the Deputy that this Government intends to continue to keep the focus on this very undesirable situation and to use any opportunity available to seek constructive solutions that would help to alleviate this unacceptable position.

On 20th January, I met with Michel Barnier, the EU Fisheries Commissioner and the Ministers of the Fisheries Group of 8 on fisheries related matters post-Brexit. I raised this matter of inequitable burden sharing directly at this meeting. 

I also raised this matter at EU Fisheries Councils in both January and February. At the February meeting, I put forward a practical proposal to seek an exchange from the UK of mackerel for North Sea whitefish on the basis of a proposal from the Irish industry. However, this was not accepted by all relevant Member States as it involved loss of shares of whitefish for them in the North Sea.   This emphasises that proposals to adjust shares of quotas within the EU will always be challenging and to be successful are likely to work when they offer  advantage to other Member States as well as Ireland.

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has been engaged in consultations with the UK on setting fishing opportunities for shared stocks for 2021 since early February.  While progress is being made in these consultations, an agreement with the UK has not to date been reached.   Earlier this week, I attended the March EU Fisheries Council, setting  provisional TACs and quotas for seven months will provide certainty and continuity for the fishing industry for the coming period.  I again made Council aware of Ireland's concerns regarding  the matter of inequitable burden sharing within the TCA both formally at Council.

As I have said, I  am pursing every opportunity at EU level to increase the available quotas for our fishing fleet.  I am pleased with the outcome of the consultations with Norway in respect of Blue Whiting has increased the available quota for the EU and Irish fleet..  The ICES advice is for a 20% cut in this stock and this advice is being followed.    This cut has been significantly mitigated because I negotiated successfully to reduce the customary transfer of this stock to Norway.   As a result, Ireland’s quota has been reduced by only 8%, giving us a quota of 35,373 tonnes.  The proportion of the Total Allowable Catch in the transfer of Blue Whiting to Norway for 2021 has been set at the lowest transfer level we have seen and represents a recognition at EU level of the need to use every  opportunity to increase the quotas available for our fishing fleet.

I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to raise the matter at EU level and in bilateral exchanges with other EU Member States, whenever a suitable opportunitis arise.