EU: Common Fisheries Policy

Lord Greaves Excerpts
Wednesday 22nd December 2010

(13 years, 11 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Henley Portrait Lord Henley
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My Lords, as my children say to me, I will say to the noble Lord, “Get real”. If we simply try to tear up the common fisheries policy, we are not going to get anywhere. We are in the business of negotiating with others in the EU. We are in a happy state of affairs where we have agreement from a lot of other countries as well as from the Commission that reform is necessary and desirable. Therefore, we will go ahead and see what we can achieve.

Lord Greaves Portrait Lord Greaves
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My Lords, is it not extraordinary that the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, believes that fish know where the international boundaries are in the sea? Does the Minister agree with the words of Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Fisheries Council last week that reform of the policy in future must lie with science-based management?

Lord Henley Portrait Lord Henley
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I agree with that in its entirety.