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Updated 4:05 PM
THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has spoken out against an EU plan aimed at resolving a long running dispute over mackerel fishing in the north-east Atlantic.
The EU is keen to end the dispute with Iceland and the Faroe Islands who have increased their overall share of mackerel in the area from 5 per cent in 2005 to 52 per cent in 2013.
The standoff lead to the EU placing trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroes in July after they continued to increase their share of the mackerel catch without agreement.
In an effort to resolve the impasse the commission is believed to have devised a deal that would see Iceland get 11.9 per cent and the Faroe Islands 12 per cent of the future total allowable catch for mackerel.
At a meeting in Luxembourg today however, Minister for Agriculture and the Marine Simon Coveney argued against “rewarding Iceland and the Faroe Islands for their unacceptable and irresponsible actions in respect of the shared mackerel stock over the past number of years.”
“While any deal should provide a fair and justifiable quota share for Iceland, it must also protect the interests of EU member states like Ireland who have relied on this fishery for over 40 years,” he said.
Coveney added that any new offer to Iceland on their mackerel fishing rights must only be made on the basis of equal burden sharing with non-EU member Norway.
Fianna Fáil MEP and member of the parliament’s fisheries committee Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP labelled the deal being discussed as “disgrace” saying that it would impact on Ireland’s fishing rights:
If these figures are accepted, it would possibly result in a reduced share of mackerel quota for Ireland in the long-run. As a result, Iceland and the Faroe Islands would reap larger mackerel quotas than Ireland, which is an absolute disgrace.
The desire for a deal has been given extra impetus following advice last week from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) which advised that there would be scope to increase the North Atlantic mackerel catch by 64 per cent next year.
Fisherman at Ireland’s largest fishing port in Killybegs have suggested a multi-tiered deal that would see Iceland and the Faroe Islands getting different allowances based on the size of mackerel stocks at any given time.
Negotiations are due to take place in London next week between all the parties involved in the stalemate.
Ireland will take part in the discussions with Coveney requesting a meeting with EU fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki ahead of the meeting.
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Nothing like giving your naturally carniverous dog a good healthy “raw” “vegan” diet..
And kids going to school starving, let’s feed the dogs with new shlt …
Raw diets are fantastic for dogs, definitely not vegan diets though!!
Dog owners are not responsible for the failings of child-owners.
The government owned the kids in this country, remember the referendum on the children that ye voted in
Vegan dogs? Organic dog food? Listen, trying to create more ‘healthy’ food products for dogs is obviously a good thing, but trying to impose your own food preferences on your pets may be seen as a bit much.
Raw feeding all the way but certainly not vegan for my 2 carnivores!!
Hipster dogfood.
I heard about a woman once, who fed her husband dog food for dinner for years and he died,
Not from poisoning, apparently he broke his neck licking his ass.
Black dog……”Coconut, Sweet Potato or the meaty snack on four legs….descisions!”
A number 33, I think you mean in Korea?
Made in Vietnam. All those airmiles for pretentious, hipster dog owners to be fleeced.
Wooh, capitalism!
Will this new food herald the return of white dogsh#t ? An entire generation of kids are growing up without the pleasure of mistaking dogsh#t for stones etc…
If your dog is fat it is your fault. Feed them less and exercise them more. There are plenty of good quality dog foods on the market. Or raw seems to be becoming more popular.
They’re all barking mad!!
“Human-grade dog snacks” sounds rather macabre.
They should export it… Massive market for good quality safe pet food out east. 5lb Bags of dog food can go for €50-60.
Sometimes I find the dog food cost more than I would spend on my own food.
What sort of dogs eat humans (not hymens) for breakfast
My dog LOVES these and it makes me happy because I know I’m feeding him something healthy and that’s good for him. Too many meat treats are really bad for dogs and can cause kidney disease.
A syndicate of Irish food entrepreneurs is investing in human-grade dog snacks…
But all cat and dog food must pass the test that humans could eat it if WW3 broke out???
have your say