Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will designate Greencastle harbour as a pelagic landing port for catches over ten tonnes. [32919/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Under the Sea-Fisheries (Community Control System)(Amendment)(No. 2) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 638/2022), the following ports are currently designated for landings of pelagic species (including blue whiting) greater than 10 tonnes: An Daingean, Baltimore, Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros A Mhil.

I am advised that a key component of the SFPA Control Plan currently in force for pelagic landings is that of pre-transport, control-supervised weighing undertaken on publicly-owned weighbridges - which Greencastle port does not have at present.

Furthermore, there are significant practical and cost implications for the State in the designation of ports, in that, for any ports designated, Ireland is obliged to ensure that it has in place a meaningful control presence.

The current ports designated, and the opening days and times for those ports, were decided in order to allow vessels to continue to land into Irish ports, while ensuring that the SFPA has the capacity to continue to perform its vital control functions effectively.

In light of this, there are no current plans to designate Greencastle port in the manner suggested by the Deputy.

However, I would also like to assure the Deputy that the designation of ports for landings does not preclude vessels from coming into ports for force majeure reasons such as safe harbour.