Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 November 2014
233. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of fresh water that will be required for the treatment of amoebic gill disease and other parasites in proposed salmon farms in Galway Bay; the source of this fresh water; his views that this proposed activity should be the subject of an environmental impact assessment. [45074/14]
View answerAn application by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) for an aquaculture licence for the cultivation of finfish near Inis Oírr in Galway Bay was received by my Department in 2012. The application and its accompanying Environmental Impact Statement are being considered under the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act and the 1933 Foreshore Act.
The assessment process will consider all aspects of the application and take full account of national and EU legislative requirements. It will reflect the full engineering, scientific, environmental, legal and public policy aspects of the application.
There is always a strict separation between my Ministerial role as decision maker in respect of aquaculture licence applications and my Ministerial duty to promote the sustainable development of the industry. This separation of duties is strictly observed.
As the application is under active consideration as part of the statutory process it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.
