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Aquaculture Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Questions (314)

Clare Daly

Question:

314. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons directly employed in the operation of marine salmon farms; if the employment is seasonal; and if employment is full-time or part-time. [14920/15]

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Written answers

According to the 2013 Annual BIM Employment and Production Survey of the Irish aquaculture sector, there were 416 people employed directly in the salmon farming industry.  Of these, 230 were full-time year round employees and 186 were classed as part-time employees. Food Harvest 2020 recognises the potential of the seafood sector, in particular aquaculture and seafood processing, to contribute to employment growth and aims to increase employment in the sector from 11,000 to 14,000 by 2020. This potential is echoed in Action Plan for Jobs 2015.

On 27 March 2015, I announced plans for a new €241 million development programme for the seafood sector for the period up to 2020, co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. I am inviting submissions on that draft Programme by 1 May 2015. The draft Seafood Development Programme 2014-2020 proposes investment of €30 million in a number of measures specifically intended to support the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector. Those investment plans will be supported by a new National Strategic Plan for Aquaculture, which I am finalising with Bord Iascaigh Mhara and will publish for public consultation shortly. Through that National Strategic Plan and targeted investment under the Seafood Development Programme I will be seeking to identify all of the issues affecting the sustainable growth of the sector and the policy actions and supporting investment needed to address those issues. These initiatives can be expected to contribute significantly to achievement of the employment creation targets for aquaculture specified in Food Harvest 2020.

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