EU to launch ‘trade war’ over mackerel

The EU is to launch a trade war against Iceland and the Faroe Islands to stop them helping themselves to half the entire EU mackerel stocks, at Ireland’s insistence.

Mackerel is Ireland’s most valuable fish, worth around €125m a year to fishermen, and it keeps 10 processing factories in business.

However, the amount Irish boats can fish has been cut because the two nations, with a combined population of less than 370,000, have increased their catch from 5% in 2006 to 52% this year, worth about €300m.