Efforts to reach deal in mackerel quota saga

The Irish mackerel industry was looking forward to a massive increase in the amount of fish it can catch but fear it could all be whittled away by the demands of Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney received support from several countries for his insistence that Irish fishermen will not be sacrificed to allay the demands of the non-EU islands.

There will be a crunch meeting in London next week when it is hoped that a deal in the long-running dispute will be reached during negotiations between the EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroes.