Question to Agriculture about Outcome of the December Fisheries Council Meeting

Speech by David Ford MLA delivered to Northern Ireland Assembly on Mon 12th Jan 2009

David Ford MLA asked the Agriculture Minister for an estimate of the total economic effects on the fishing industry.

Responding to the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development's Statement on the Outcome of the December Fisheries Council Meeting, David Ford MLA said:

"I also thank the Minister for her statement, and I congratulate her for her efforts on the hardship package and the negotiations with the Fisheries Council. Will she provide the House with an estimate of the total economic effects on the fishing industry, taking into account, on the one hand, the hardship package and, on the other hand, the cuts in the quota and the additional economic costs that fishermen must meet? Given that she talked about the need to ensure that sufficient effort is made available to take account of the new arrangements for 1 February, what is the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development doing to ensure that fishermen can maximise their opportunities from that date?"

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development replied: "I am not in a position to provide a figure to estimate that. I appreciate the Member's comments; throughout the year, the Department put much work into the meeting with the Fisheries Council. The Department is still negotiating swaps with the industry in the South to determine what the fishing effort will be for fishermen this year.

"A decrease was made in the quotas for plaice, but the quota uptake on plaice was only 39·5%. A cut would have had an impact on the industry if it had been catching 100% of its quota. Given that the industry was not catching its entire quota, it has less difficulty in absorbing that cut. We want to ensure that the cuts do not have a negative impact on the industry.

"The hardship package will have a positive impact on the industry, and the Department will continue to work out exactly what fishermen will be able to catch. Officials are working daily with the industry to implement the cod recovery plan so that it has the maximum effect. On paper, the cuts sound expensive, but, in the case of many of the species that have been subject to cuts, the quotas are not currently met. However, the quota for haddock has been increased by 15%, which results in a net gain for the industry.

"As a result of the cut of 2%, 165 tons of nephrops have been lost. That equates to a financial loss of £372,367. The cut in cod quotas equates to a loss of £100,000, and the increase in haddock quotas equates to a gain of £72,831. Added to that is the gain of £700,000 from potential swaps with the industry in the South."

Related Link:

[Official Report (Hansard) 12 Jan 2009]