Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 May 2013
6. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the temporary restriction on development grants included in the text of the Irish seafood national programme is still in place; whether a decision has been taken to reverse the decision in this programme to defer until after 2013 the targets for the increased productive capacity for salmon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21497/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish seafood national programme 2007-13 is a framework programme under the national development plan covering supports to the seafood sector that are not co-funded by the EU. Most support to the seafood sector is co-funded by the European fisheries fund and is covered by the Seafood development programme 2007-13.
Financial supports for the construction, installation and modernisation of aquaculture enterprises are provided by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, and Údarás na Gaeltachta through the commercial aquaculture development scheme. This scheme was originally part of the Irish seafood national programme, but was moved into the co-funded seafood development programme in 2012 as part of a revision of that programme following its 2011 interim evaluation.
As part of the original development of both programmes, a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, was conducted. During the course of the public consultation on that SEA, the central and regional fisheries boards, now Inland Fisheries Ireland, raised concerns about the possibility of sea lice emanating from salmon farms negatively affecting migrating wild salmon. The Minister for Communication, Energy and Natural Resources supported these concerns.
Rather than delay the finalisation of the programmes, it was agreed to exclude marine salmon farms from financial support under the Irish seafood national programme until such time as the sea lice issue has been satisfactorily resolved. This temporary restriction on development grants was included in the text of the Irish seafood national programme, on page 99. There is no restriction on the development of the salmon farming sector itself.
With the transfer of the commercial aquaculture development scheme into the co-funded seafood development programme in 2012, the text of that programme was amended to provide for the continuation of the temporary restriction on financial support to the marine salmon farming sector. The temporary restriction was also included in the eligibility criteria approved earlier this year for the 2013 call for applications under the commercial aquaculture development scheme. The temporary restriction, therefore, remains in place. It remains intact because there are ongoing discussions between my Department and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on this issue.
The European Commission has been very clear that it now accepts that the systems in place in Ireland to control sea lice and salmon farms are probably the best anywhere in Europe. As far as we are concerned, the sea lice issue is no longer significant. However, we need to convince our colleagues in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the IFI that this is the case. If and when this is achieved, we will remove the restriction.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The Irish seafood national programme included a table specifying targeted increases in production by 2015 for the main aquaculture species, including salmon. Owing to the temporary restriction on financial support to the marine salmon farming sector, arising from the SEA, the programme acknowledged that the targeted increase in production of salmon would be adversely affected by the absence of development support. As that temporary restriction remains in place, the targeted increase in production of salmon continues to be affected. My Department’s policy on sea lice controls is strictly evidence based. The control protocols are operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State and are more advanced than those operated in other jurisdictions for the following reasons: the inspection regime is totally independent of the industry, data obtained as a result of inspections are published and treatment trigger levels are set at a low level.
In 2008, the State introduced a new pest-management strategy, supplementing the control regime already in place. This has resulted in a steady decline in average sea lice numbers on farmed salmon since its inception. The protocols have been the subject of detailed investigation and testing by the EU Commission in response to a complaint from a member of the public in respect of the effects of sea lice on wild salmon. On 11 October 2012, the Commission closed its investigation of this complaint in the State's favour following its examination of all relevant matters. The Commission has also indicated that it regards the sea lice protocols operated in Ireland as representing best practice internationally.
Can the Minister confirm whether any money was given to Bord Iascaigh Mhara for the licence and, therefore, the development process pertaining to fish farms in Galway Bay and others in respect of which it is carrying out environmental impact assessments? There is one in north Mayo, for example. Does the Minister agree that if money was given to Bord Iascaigh Mhara to do this, it would at least be in contravention of the spirit of the statement in the Irish seafood national programme?
No. Bord Iascaigh Mhara is a semi-State body responsible for the development of the seafood sector. This includes salmon farming, other elements of aquaculture, wild sea fisheries etc. The body has applied, in its name, to develop a large salmon farm in Galway Bay. As the Minister who makes the decision under licence, I will have a very detailed set of recommendations on the application based on the expertise available to me in my Department and the Marine Institute primarily. We will be making decisions when the recommendations are issued. It is the job of Bord Iascaigh Mhara to seek opportunities in regard to the seafood sector, to encourage the private sector to avail of these opportunities and to facilitate development as an entity in itself. We have not given the body extra resources to do that.
The money Bord Iascaigh Mhara is using is State money, obtained from the Department; it is not private sector money. It seems strange that the Department will not grant aid a private individual or company to develop a fish farm although it is happy that its money may be used by a State entity to develop the biggest fish farms ever in the country, in respect of which the risk of sea lice will be many times greater than it would otherwise be. Can the Minister confirm this? Can he explain how this is within the spirit of the statement in the programme, whose clear intent was to place a moratorium on the development of fish farms?
No; it was not.
It seems very Jesuitical to be arguing that it is okay for Bord Iascaigh Mhara to use State money to develop a project while it is not okay to have fish farm development of a much smaller scale on the part of a private entity because of the sea lice issue. As the Minister stated, the exclusion was on the basis of the sea lice issue identified in the environmental impact statement.
Either the Deputy does not understand the policy or he is deliberately trying to misrepresent what it is about.
I do understand it.
There is no moratorium on the development of salmon farms.
On funding.
There will be no money available until the restriction is moved for any farm, be it in Galway Bay or anywhere else.
Money is being given to Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
There is no grant aid available to put infrastructure in place.
The Minister should have been a Jesuit.
The Deputy is trying to muddy the waters for political reasons, as usual, and is trying to cause division.
The Minister is the one trying to cause division.
The problem is that the Deputy does not listen and does not want to hear the actual truth. He would much rather create division between people.
I would like to reassure Members in regard to sea lice. My Department's policy on sea lice controls is strictly evidence based. The control protocols are operated by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State and are more advanced than those operated in any other jurisdiction in the European Union. The inspection regime is totally independent of the industry. Data obtained are a result of inspections and they are published fully regularly. We have treatment trigger levels that are set very low by international standards. Therefore, we have deliberately put in place a gold standard in regard to the treatment of lice because of issues that arose in the past that had to be addressed in policy.
There is no moratorium on the development of salmon farms but the licensing system to facilitate salmon farms is rigorous. It will continue to be rigorous, regardless of the applicant, be it Bord Iascaigh Mhara or anybody else. I strongly defend the entitlement of Bord Iascaigh Mhara to use its initiative in trying to develop the seafood industry with a view to creating jobs. This is the thinking behind what it is doing. Whether it gets a licence is an entirely different issue on which I must make a very independent decision.
