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Britain can’t have its cake and eat it

10/11/2020

 

UK cannot expect to retain EU membership fishing benefits, post-Brexit
​

The complexity of moulding Britain’s future relationship with the EU is nowhere more evident than in fisheries where the UK cannot expect to retain the privileges of membership while blocking its erstwhile European colleagues from its waters and doubling its catch. That’s according to Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) CEO, Seán O’Donoghue who said it would be rank hypocrisy for the UK to expect to slam the door and keep the gains it enjoyed while part of the EU.

Mr O’Donoghue is adamant that the UK should no longer benefit from the additional fishing opportunities it was granted after joining the EEC in 1973, particularly when the total allowable caches and quotas were decided in the early eighties.

After the UK joined the European Union, it was compensated for potential losses of fishing opportunities in third country waters due to the extension of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in 1976 to 200 miles. This amounted to 26% (volume) increase in fishing opportunities covering seven species, added to the UK historical catches in establishing its final percentage share out known as relative stability. These additional opportunities were duly taken out of the share of other member states.

Mr O’Donoghue said: “When you leave a club, you relinquish the privileges that were afforded to you when you were a member. It’s a simple as that. It is crystal clear, the 26% increase in fishing opportunities which was granted by the EU to the UK should end with UK membership.

“With Britain now playing hardball on fisheries and fighting to doubling its catch, the EU negotiators must clearly spell out that the starting point in any fisheries negotiations has to exclude any additional catches it obtained, as part of the EU.  On top of this, the UK was also in receipt of another inducement in the shape of ‘Hague Preferences’ which amounts to an additional increase in volume in certain stocks.

“All four Irish producer organisations will be making that point to the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine tomorrow (Monday) when we meet to discuss the potential impact of Brexit on our industry,” concluded Mr O’Donoghue.

The KFO position is fully supported by the European Fisheries Alliance (EUFA) * which is roundly calling for the UK not to enjoy both independent coastal state status and the benefits of EU membership.
ENDS
Further information:
 
Seán O’Donoghue
087 4196535

 

* The European Fisheries Alliance (EUFA), which was established less than two months after the British vote to exit the EU, sets out to protect the interests of fleets from national organisations in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden. The alliance accounts for over 18,000 fishermen and 3,500 vessels with an annual turnover €20.7 billion. 
​

Irish Government intent on heaping hardship on beleaguered fishermen

10/2/2020

 

​Fisheries sector facing twin threats of Brexit and penalty points
​

As the Irish fishing industry teeters on the brink facing its biggest ever crisis in the form of Brexit, our Government has incredulously decided to heap further misery on fishermen by rejecting an annulment of highly controversial penalty points legislation. That’s according to the four Irish fish producer organisations which were reacting following the defeat of a Sinn Féin motion in Dáil Éireann on Wednesday last (September 30th). 

“The response of both Minister Charlie McConalogue and the Taoiseach who actually signed the Statutory Instrument (SI), has been at best dismissive, at worst contemptuous and glib. At a time when our industry, which is worth more than €1.2billion per annum to our economy, stands on the precipice facing its biggest threat since the foundation of the state with Brexit, it is simply appalling that our own Government would distract us from working to represent our members in the face of cavalier British attitude. Minister McConalogue, given his time as opposition shadow and constituency base on the shores of Lough Foyle, ‘gets’ this issue both personally and politically. In fact, he successfully voted against it just over two years ago. *

“While we have received a huge level of political support for our plight, including from many Government backbenchers which was heartening, ultimately they voted against rescinding the dastardly legislation thus rendering useless, their verbal commitment. We have always said that we are in favour of a penalty points system it must be a system which is fair and in accordance with our own legal system. The turgid history of this legislation make grim reading, it has been repealed in the Supreme Court in 2017, tabled by the last Government in May 2018, stridently opposed by then opposition spokesperson, Charlie McConalogue as well as his Fianna Fáil colleagues and now out of the blue, foisted on us by Fianna Fáil more than two years later with no communication nor consultation,” said the joint statement issued by the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO), Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO), Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation (ISEFPO) and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation (ISWFPO)

The four organisations declared that their industry is simply apoplectic and won’t give up the fight stating that it’s still not too late for the SI to be amended as a matter of urgency. They said they are more than willing to immediately sit down with the Minister to address the four key offending parts. “These offending parts must be removed or changed such as the burden of proof to be changed to beyond reasonable doubt; no right of appeal to High Court except on a point of law; incredibly, even if the fisherman is successful in the High Court, the penalty points would still remain on the licence and the removal of multiple points being applied when the capacity of the vessel is split,” concluded the statement.

Further information:
 
Seán O’Donoghue (Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation)
087 4196535
 
John Ward (Irish Fish Producers Organisation)
087 2548520
 
Hugo Boyle (Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation)
086 0222090
 
Patrick Murphy (Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation)
086 2360001


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