HC Deb 02 July 1998 vol 315 cc281-2W
Mr. Steen

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what factors underlie the requirement that fishermen(a) complete a landing declaration and (b) produce a stamped sales note when landing fish; [48282]

(2) for what reasons he withdrew the concession of submitting stamped sales notes for fishermen in Brixham; [48283]

(3) what assessment he has made of the additional costs arising from the requirement placed on Brixham fishermen regarding landing declarations when landing fish in Brixham as against landing fish in other ports; [48284]

(4) what reasons underlie the requirement that fishermen in Brixham complete a landing declaration. [48285]

Mr. Morley

[holding answer 1 July 1998]: Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2847/93, as amended, requires the master of a Community fishing vessel of 10 metres or more in overall length, or his representative, to submit to the competent authorities within 48 hours of landing a declaration giving, as a minimum, the quantities of each Total Allowable Catch (TAC) or quota species landed and the area where the fish were caught.

Detailed rules for the completion of landing declarations are set out in Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2807/83, as amended. Article 2 of that Regulation provides that, if a landing takes place in a port of the Member State whose flag the vessel is flying or in which it is registered, another form specified by that Member State may be used provided it contains at least the information set out in Annex III (the landing declaration form). For this purpose, the Department has accepted stamped sales notes submitted on behalf of the master as an alternative to landing declarations.

Recently, an agency responsible for submitting stamped sales notes in respect of landings made into Brixham has advised the Department that it is no longer able to certify that such sales notes represent the full amount of fish landed from any voyage. In view of this, the Department has advised the masters of vessels landing into Brixham that they must complete a landing declaration in the form set out in Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2807/83.

A Compliance Cost Assessment completed in 1994 on the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2847/93 identified the cost of completing and submitting a landing declaration as £3.75.