Ireland and Scotland insist EU stops fish quota swap deals with Norway

IRELAND and Scotland have insisted that the EU stops using their fish quotas in swap deals with Norway, and instead introduce a communal EU fish pool for future trading.

Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Sean Connick, told this week’s EU Council of Ministers in Brussels that the EU/Norway Fisheries Agreement unfairly discriminates against Ireland. Under this deal, the EU has been using fish stocks off the west coast of Ireland to buy cod from Norway. Mr Connick said this deal is of no benefit to Ireland and has called for the deal to be replaced by a system which is of equal benefit to all EU members.

This view is supported by Scotland’s Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead, who also wants an overhaul of the EU’s agreements with Norway.

Mr Connick said: “It is very clear that there will be a major problem balancing any EU/Norway agreement this year and Ireland calls on the Commission to bring forward a new framework whereby, member states who want to avail of the cod on offer can contribute to a communal EU pool for exchange with Norway. In this way those member states who want the cod can avail of it but not to the detriment of member states who do not benefit.”

The EU has yet to respond to this week’s sustained criticism of the Common Fisheries Policy, which is due for review over the coming months.

Mr Connick has made it clear that Ireland will continue to push for a revision of the inequitable fish swap arrangements.

Dissatisfaction with the policy among other member states could see a push for certain localised opt-outs on certain quota limitations in what promise to be heated discussions.

As Mr Lochhead added: “Our industry’s leadership on conservation illustrates why we should have more influence on the decisions over our own fisheries. The closer these decisions are made to those who actually understand the fishery, the better. That’s why the forthcoming review of the CFP must overhaul fishing policy.”

Mr Lochhead has insisted that the existing policy will have to revisit current restrictions on mackerel fishing, which he says are threatening jobs in Scotland to the benefit of the fishing industries of Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Again, this view is shared by his Irish counterpart.

Mr Connick said Ireland will have a prominent voice in the ongoing negotiations between the EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland on arrangements for the management of the mackerel stock.