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Agriculture, Food and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue has held bilateral meetings with other fisheries ministers on the sidelines of annual quota negotiations on the possible displacement of EU vessels to Irish waters after Brexit.
In a ‘No Deal’ scenario, EU vessels will be banned from UK waters from 1 January and the Government is concerned that those vessels may seek to fish in Irish waters.
Speaking at the beginning of a two-day meeting to agree on annual catch limits for commercial stocks, known as total allowable catches (TACs), and national quotas between member states, McConalogue urged EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, to ensure that the UK Access to the single market is conditional on the EU fleets continuing to have access to British waters.
“It is really important as we move towards what we hope is a positive outcome that there is a recognition from the British government that in return there are so many positives to being part of the free trade market, that that should work in both ways, in particularly in relation to reciprocal access to water and also the maintenance of the shared quota, “he said.
“We want to avoid any reduction in our fishing quota at all costs. That is why it is really important to link the fishing negotiations with other aspects of the free trade agreement (FTA).”
McConalogue said there is “tremendous concern” among fishing communities that access and shared quota will be reduced, as a third of the fish caught by the Irish fleet was caught in UK waters.
The fisheries element of the ongoing Brexit negotiations remains stalled, following a series of new UK proposals that would restrict the ownership of British-flagged vessels.
The minister described the annual TAC and quota negotiations as “really challenging” as European fishermen still don’t know if they will have access to UK waters from 1 January.
Fisheries ministers meeting in Brussels are expected to agree on provisional TACs and quotas for the first quarter of 2021.
However, the outcome depends on a fisheries agreement with the UK in free trade negotiations.
McConalogue said the UK’s promise to use the Royal Navy to intercept EU vessels fishing in UK waters “was not helpful.”
“The stakes are high and we need flat heads,” he said.
The European Commission has published a contingency plan for fisheries in a ‘No Deal’ situation that would imply that both parties continue to allow reciprocal access to the other’s waters for a specified period.
However, the UK has rejected any suggestion that European ships would continue to enjoy access to UK waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
If the UK closes its waters as of January 1, it could mean that French, Belgian, German, Danish and Norwegian vessels, which have enjoyed historic access to UK fishing grounds, could seek to fish in Irish waters.
Request more ferry services between Ireland and continental Europe
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Association has warned of disruptions across the UK land bridge, regardless of whether or not a Brexit deal is agreed.
Eddie Punch, the association’s general secretary, described the situation as “a big problem.”
Punch told the Oireachtas Joint Agriculture and Marine Committee that that additional ferry capacity is welcome, but not enough to address the land bridge disruption.
He said there was a need to discuss, at European level, the possibility of subsidizing additional ferry capacity directly from Ireland to Europe.
Edmond Phelan of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association echoed those concerns.
However, he also said that Brexit could help sheep farmers in the short term.
Mr. Phelan said that each year between 450,000 and 500,000 lambs are brought into the Republic from Northern Ireland for slaughter.
This puts pressure on the price Irish farmers can get, he said.
The big problems, however, are beef and dairy, and he warned that they could take a severe hit.
The cost of additional tariffs as a result of a no-deal Brexit in the beef and dairy sector would be comparable to the full single farm payment, Phelan added.
Additional feature Tommy Meskill
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