An updated system for certain sales of fish after landing in ports has been introduced by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).
The authority says the updated system applies to the completion of take-over declarations for fishery products.
“All operators in Ireland are required to complete and submit take-over declarations via the new portal in FishingNet.ie”, it says, and it has published a fisheries information notice on this.
“A take-over declaration must be completed and submitted for fishery products that are intended for sale at a later stage and are not sold immediately after landing,” it says.
“ A sales note is also required to be completed once the sale has taken place,” it says.
“ For example, if products are stored prior to sale, a take-over declaration must be submitted,” it says.
“ Once those products are sold, a corresponding sales note must also be submitted. Take-over declarations resemble sales notes, but do not include a value as the products have not yet been sold, and instead record the location of storage and date of take-over,” it says.
“Registered buyers and other persons responsible for the first marketing of fisheries products must submit accurate take-over declarations and sales notes,”the SFPA says.
“If the first buyer has not yet been selected, the vessel master is responsible for submitting the take-over declaration. Operators must apply to become a registered fish buyer before entering take-over declarations,”it says.
“The process for entering take-over declarations is similar to sales notes entry, via the FishingNet.ie portal,”it explains.
“ Users will benefit from an auto-fill feature, which simplifies the completion of sales notes by transferring the details from their submitted take-over declarations. Submission deadlines for take-over declarations of either 24 or 48 hours after the landing apply, depending on the annual turnover of the submitting operator,”it says.
The SFPA says it is “ committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation” and is available to provide guidance.
FishingNet can be accessed here
The FIN on Take-Over Declarations can be accessed here
For assistance or further details on the FIN, the SFPA can be contacted by email at: sfpafood&[email protected]
