Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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875. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that Ireland’s mackerel quota is not reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63705/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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From 2014 to 2020, Mackerel was managed under a UN Coastal States Agreement that involved the EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands. In 2021, the parties were unable to agree on a new sharing arrangement. Consequently, there is currently no sharing arrangement for Mackerel in place and negotiations on a new sharing arrangement are ongoing.

The European Commission has exclusive competency to negotiate fishery agreements on behalf of EU Member States. The Commission operates under a mandate set by Council and any agreement is formally adopted by Council.

Throughout these negotiations, Ireland has been clear on the need to agree on a sharing arrangement that respects the EU’s, and in turn Ireland’s, proper share of the global Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Mackerel.

As regards quota share of EU stocks, the share allocation of stocks between Member States was established as a principle of the first Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 1983 and was based on the average catch of each Member State over a period of reference years (track record).

The only exception to this relates to the Hague Preferences, on the basis of a special recognition agreement of the underdeveloped nature of the Irish fleet and the heavy control responsibility on us when Ireland joined the EU. The Hague Preferences give Ireland an increased share of important fish stocks when TAC levels reduce below a specified level.

Any change to the existing system of quota allocations would require a majority of Member States to agree under the qualified majority voting system.

The advice issued by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing TACs and informs the EU's negotiating position for consultations with Third Countries. The ICES advice for Mackerel for 2026 is for a reduction of almost 70% on the 2025 figure.

While Ireland's percentage share of the EU Mackerel quota is unchanged, there will be a reduction in the actual amount of Mackerel allocated to Ireland (and all Member States) due to the reduction indicated by the ICES advice.

I am acutely aware that the scale of the reduction indicated by the ICES advice is a matter of grave concern for Ireland’s seafood sector, and the coastal communities which are dependent upon it economically.

I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to working closely across Government Departments to assess what supports may be available to the seafood sector in the context of EU state aid rules, and within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding. To this end, I have had initial discussions with the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, an Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.