Brendan Byrne says the decision by EU member states to revoke the Hague Preferences is equivalent to a fisheries apartheid regime towards Ireland
Byrne Says Hague Preferences Revocation Betrays Ireland
The Irish fishing industry has been subjected to what amounts to discriminatory treatment at EU level following the decision to block Ireland’s Hague Preferences at last week’s Fisheries Council, according to Brendan Byrne, chief executive of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association.
Speaking to Greg Huhes on Highland Radio’s Nine til Noon programme, Byrne said the revocation of the Hague Preferences represented a fundamental breach of a deal dating back to November 1976, under which Ireland permitted access to its waters in return for guaranteed minimum fishing opportunities if stocks declined.
“What we are facing is complete devastation and complete anger and frustration at the European Commission because this has been the ultimate betrayal,” Byrne said. “This relates to the Hague Preferences, which were an insurance policy that guaranteed Ireland a minimum level of fish to catch in our own waters. That was revoked unilaterally.”
Blocking Minority Used To Shut Ireland Out
Byrne accused France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands of deliberately forming a blocking minority to prevent the preferences from even being put to a vote, despite the likelihood that a majority of member states would have supported Ireland.
“Those four countries used the procedures of the Council of Ministers to scupper a 49-year-old deal,” he said. “They put their own vested interests ahead of the common good and operated what is equivalent to a fisheries apartheid regime towards Ireland.”
He argued that the outcome was not about conservation, but about control of access to Irish waters. “If they destroy the Irish fishing fleet and processing sector, the Dutch, Germans and French will have Irish waters to themselves. This is a war of aggression against a small state.”
Commission Accused Of Failing Small Member States
Byrne was sharply critical of the European Commission, accusing it of abandoning its duty to protect smaller member states under the Common Fisheries Policy and the principles of the EU treaties.
“The Commission stood idly by while a small member state contributing 12 to 13 percent of European waters was shafted,” he said. “The basic principles of the Treaty of Rome and every treaty since have not been upheld in regard to Ireland.”
He said Ireland had already lost 68 percent of the value of fish processed since 2020 through EU and Brexit-related decisions, with the loss of the Hague Preferences set to remove a further €20 million from the sector.
Severe Consequences For Fleet And Processing
Byrne warned that the practical consequences for fishermen and processors would be immediate and severe, particularly in ports such as Killybegs.
“We are now facing vessels that could be at sea for less than 10 or 12 days a year,” he said. “Factories that once worked three to five months a year may be down to two or three weeks. This is the darkest hour ever forced on the Irish fishing industry.”
He added that every segment of the fleet would be affected, including whitefish, pelagic, inshore and offshore vessels, with job losses inevitable unless the decision is challenged.
Calls For Legal Action And Political Escalation
Byrne said the Irish Government must now pursue legal action and escalate the issue to the highest political level in Europe.
“This has to be challenged head-on,” he said. “The Government needs to take legal action and summon the Commissioner to Ireland to explain why his duty to defend Ireland was abandoned.”
He warned that the implications went beyond fisheries. “Today it is fishing. Tomorrow it could be anything. If a 49-year arrangement can be revoked in plain sight, it undermines the entire European project.”
