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Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Atlantic mackerel deal thrashed out but Iceland holds firm and doesn't sign

The EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands have reached agreement although Simon Coveney expresses reservations.

THE EU, NORWAY and the Faroe Islands have signed a deal on mackerel quotas but Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney says that, although he welcomes the agreement, he couldn’t support the final deal.

Iceland, who have staunchly defended their mackerel fishing in the North Atlantic, withdrew from the talks and were not part of the final agreement.

Iceland last year said that threatened sanctions against the country would be against international law.

The five-year agreement will see Iceland given no fishing rights in EU waters but places strict fishing quotas on the EU, Norway and the Faroese

The long-running dispute over the estimated €1 billion mackerel stock in the the North Atlantic intensified over the past six months with the EU claiming that Iceland and the Faroe Islands have increased their overall share of mackerel in the area from 5 per cent in 2005 to 52 per cent in 2013.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney says that agreement “will protect against previous dangerously high levels of fishing” but that it is “certainly not ideal”:

I was disappointed with an aspect of the final outcome which gave the Faroe Islands an increased 12.6 per cent share of the stock and set aside a further 15.6 per cent for Iceland, Greenland and Russia. I consistently argued at council and throughout these negotiations that the levels being proposed for these parties were too high and on that basis I could not support the overall deal.

Despite this, Coveney welcomed aspects of the deal that will see Irish mackerel quotas increase by over 60 per cent from the current 65,000 tonnes to 105,000 tonnes.

The minster’s sentimemnt s were echoed by MEP Pat the Cope Gallagher, who said that it represented “good news” from an Irish perspective despite voicing concerns about how it will operate in the future.

“In the long term, it is worrying that the Faroe Islands have received a share of 12.6 per cent as a result of the agreement. This share is totally unjustified and must not result in long term losses for the Irish sector. ” he said.

“Iceland has once again refused to co-operate fully with the other coastal states. As such, I firmly believe that trade sanctions now must come back onto the table,” Gallagher added.

Read: Iceland PM hits back in mackerel fishing row >

Read: Coveney opposes EU plans on mackerel quotas >

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42 Comments
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    Mute Ahren Boache
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:31 AM

    This winner of this week’s Ireland’s dumbest criminal.

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    Mute Carmo Vanderval
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:48 AM

    They’re all winners.

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    Mute Veronika Hladová
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:02 AM

    Should have been a maniac instead of a brainiac

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    Mute andrew
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:46 AM

    may be dumb but dangerous as any simple google search will show

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    Mute Beachmaster
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:33 AM

    Recaptured?! He handed himself in.

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    Mute Bigus Diccus
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:37 AM

    And didn’t even throw away the knife first. What a genius.

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    Mute little jim
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:11 AM

    You’d have to wonder where he tried to hide it. Seems like he’s enjoying himself though.

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    Mute The Journal TD
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:32 AM

    Why do skangers always look the same??? sound the same who are they trying to emulate? They should be aiming themselves to be like enda kenny

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 21st 2015, 3:04 PM

    Socio – economics peer pressure basically makes them want to fit in. The real question is why anybody who is not a criminal wants to dress like one.

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    Mute Citizen Keen
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:58 AM

    Obviously not too worried about the consequences of his actions and why should he because there are no consequences.

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    Mute Miguel O'Reilly
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:38 AM

    So he handed himself in whilst carrying a weapon. Ireland’s dumbest criminal? Maybe, but I doubt it.

    Clearly he just knows that he will. It get any extra prison time for absconding or for carrying a weapon whilst a prisoner.

    It will just give him temporary kudos amongst the skang fraternity

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    Mute Harry the Cat
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:06 AM

    Who is in today? haha!

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    Mute Kris Ertz
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    Jul 21st 2015, 1:02 PM

    46 convictions at 22 years of age…ffs…what a waste of space!

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    Mute Rehabmeerkat
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    Jul 21st 2015, 7:03 PM

    can’t doubt his dedication…. if this skobe has been done 46 times. imagine what he’s got away with…… I’d have him and his ilk doing 20 years hard labour or chain ganged

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    Mute Smiley
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:40 AM

    Plonker!

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    Mute Davy Boy
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:34 AM

    Let’s hope the authorities manage to hold on to him this time

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    Mute Live Long
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:13 AM

    Left through the back door of the courthouse! I suppose we should be grateful he isn’t Hannibal Lector

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    Mute Science of beer
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:15 AM

    what a dope he walked into a cop shot known he was wanted carrying a weapon, surely he must have known he would be searched

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    Mute Science of beer
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:15 AM

    cop shop

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    Mute Shane Freeney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:31 AM

    No point in been stupid if you don’t show it !

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    Mute John Staunton
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    Jul 21st 2015, 12:03 PM

    *being

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    Mute Shane Freeney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 12:39 PM

    Yawn !

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    Mute stephen
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    Jul 21st 2015, 12:05 PM

    He’s not called short planks for nothing.

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    Mute Anne McDermott
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    Jul 21st 2015, 12:54 PM

    What a dud.

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    Mute DiarmuidMurphy
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    Jul 21st 2015, 6:34 PM

    He looks like a right F×ckin Donkey!

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    Mute Oisin Gilmore
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 12:07 AM

    A knife,a number of phones, and a USB stick. Jaysus

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