Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 December 2013
26. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider increasing the number of staff to facilitate appropriate assessment for oyster farm licensing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53145/13]
View answerThe majority of areas for which oyster licences are sought are designated Special Areas of Conservation and/or Special Protection Areas under the EU Birds Directive (Natura 2000 sites).
To ensure compliance with the Birds and Habitats Directives, all applications in ‘Natura 2000 areas’ are required to be appropriately assessed. This has required the putting in place of a significant work programme which has considerable time and resource implications. An additional factor is that all aquaculture applications now undergo Environmental Impact pre-screening assessment which requires significant input from my Department’s scientific and technical advisors. My Department, in conjunction with the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, is engaged in a comprehensive programme to gather the necessary baseline data appropriate to the conservation objectives of ‘Natura 2000’ areas. This data collection programme is substantially complete. Analysis of the data, together with the setting of appropriate conservation objectives by the NPWS, will enable all new, renewal and review applications to be appropriately assessed for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.
It is expected that successful completion of the Appropriate Assessment process will facilitate a significant increase in the number of licence determinations. In the region of 45 aquaculture licences have issued this year in respect of Castlemaine. A number of licensing determinations in respect of Roaringwater Bay have been made and others are imminent at this time.
The Appropriate Assessment process represents a significant financial, administrative and scientific investment by the State in resolving this issue. My Department continues to make every effort to expedite the determination of all aquaculture applications having regard to the complexities of each case and the need to comply fully with all national and EU legislation. I am also satisfied that the resources available to my Department are sufficient to achieve this outcome.
