HC Deb 07 July 1982 vol 27 cc110-1W
Mr. Donald Stewart

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what machinery exists to monitor landings of herring in the countries of the EEC and to check on catches over the agreed quotas.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

Landings of herring in the countries of the EEC are monitored by the control and enforcement services of the member States where landings are made. Member States are required to report all landings of herring to the Commission monthly; and more frequent reports of herring catches were called for during 1981.

There are no agreed quotas at present, but the Council of Ministers is considering a comprehensive set of quotas proposed by the Commission.

A new EEC control regulation was adopted by the Fisheries Council on 29 June 1982. This will empower the Commission both to make on-the-spot checks of member States' monitoring and control machinery, and to prohibit fishing by regulation when a member State has exhausted its quotas, once these are agreed.