Statement by Jim Allister MEP on Outcome of Fishing Negotiations in Brussels
19 December 2007
"It is hugely disappointing and a considerable failure by the local Minister that for the ninth year in a row we are heading into a "temporary" spring closure affecting our whitefish fleet. Even more appalling is the further savage cut in "days at sea". When this limitation was first introduced 3 years ago in 2004, our prawn fishermen were allowed 264 days at sea. With this year's further reduction of another 10% we have lost 80 of those days and are now down to 184 days. Gildernew should not have agreed to this.
All that has been gained for Northern Ireland is a very modest increase of 5% in the haddock quota in circumstances where expectations were much higher and the species is in abundance. With no increase in prawns, plaice or herring and yet another 18% cut in cod, there is nothing to cheer about in this package. It's no comfort for the Minister to protest that things could have been worse.
Another huge failure is the negotiations under "the Hague Preference". Under this anachronistic arrangement between the UK and the Republic quotas are traded. This year we have suffered a major setback with getting back only 150 tonnes of cod compared with 300 tonnes last year. Thus in Northern Ireland we stand to lose nearly one third of our present cod allowance. This is appalling and a dismal failure by the Minister. Why did she let the Republic off so lightly? She went to Brussels promising much, but is returning with little. She gave away much more than she gained."
ENDS
