The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), Ireland’s competent regulatory authority for the implementation of sea-fisheries and sea-food safety legislation, states that a Sea-Fisheries Control Plan*for the weighing of fishery products after transport to a permitted premises in Ireland has been submitted for final approval to the EU Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).
The proposed control plan, if adopted, will allow Ireland benefit from a derogation under regulation which will provide an exemption from weighing on landing for 95% of pelagic landings and a proportion of demersal fish landings and will instead facilitate weighing of fish after transport in permitted establishments, unless directed otherwise at landing by a Sea-Fisheries Protection Officer of the SFPA.
Subject to EU Commission approval, this Control Plan will come into effect on 1st January 2023. The existing Interim Sea-Fisheries control plan remains in place up to 31st December 2022.
The SFPA further states that it has briefed industry representatives to ensure that they are provided with an overview of the recently submitted draft control plan.
Paschal Hayes, Executive Chairperson, SFPA said,
“The SFPA’s ongoing objective is to secure approval for a permanent Control Plan that enables meaningful controls to manage real noncompliance risks, so we can ensure sustainable fishing stocks and vibrant marine ecosystems for future generations.
We welcome the opportunity to update industry representatives on the conditions of the Control Plan which has now been submitted for final approval. The SFPA has worked intensively over the past months on a Control Plan which we believe will provide much needed certainty to all involved in the industry over the longer term.
A Permanent Control Plan is a critical element in ensuring we adhere to our obligations under the EU Common Fisheries Policy and that we all take on the shared responsibility of ensuring the long-term sustainability of our marine resources.”
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*The default provision in EU legislation is that all wild-caught fishery products have to be weighed immediately at transport by operators. There is potential for a derogation to allow weighing to take place after transport but that requires EU commission approval of a ‘Control Plan’ to manage compliance risks arising from that practice.