Ireland needs aquaculture rule changes now, politicians are told
Sector champion warns that reform of broken permitting system is too slow
Ireland’s finfish and shellfish farmers have presented politicians with a list of rule changes that must be made urgently if the sector is to thrive.
The aquaculture division of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) is calling for a single piece of legislation to slash red tape in a country where applications for new finfish farm licences can take 15 years and licence renewals can take 20.
Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries & Maritime Affairs yesterday, IFA Aquaculture chair Finian O’Sullivan said that in some cases, aquaculture businesses have operated for a decade or more without appropriate licensing certainty, despite full compliance with regulatory requirements.
Unacceptable uncertainty
“This level of delay creates unacceptable uncertainty for operators, deters investment, restricts innovation, and places Irish aquaculture at a significant disadvantage compared with our European counterparts,” said O’Sullivan.
IFA Aquaculture members are not seeking weaker regulation ... what we are seeking is a licensing process that is timely, coherent, properly resourced, and legally robust.
“It is important to stress that IFA Aquaculture members are not seeking weaker regulation,” he told the committee. “The aquaculture sector fully supports robust environmental assessment, compliance with national and EU legislation, and the protection of our marine environment. What we are seeking is a licensing process that is timely, coherent, properly resourced, and legally robust.
“At present, the system is characterised by fragmented decision-making, duplicated assessments, sequential rather than parallel processes, and an ongoing vulnerability to legal challenge. This does not serve environmental protection, public confidence, or sustainable development. Instead, it results in paralysis – where decisions are delayed and opportunities are lost.”
Losing out on grant aid
O’Sullivan pointed out that there is also a very significant knock-on effect resulting from delays in the licensing system in relation to grant-aid eligibility, which is impacting the ability of the sector to sustainably develop and integrate innovative practices.
He said the sector provides essential employment opportunities for rural coastal communities with more than 1,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs in seafood processing and marine ancillary services sectors. Irish aquaculture produce is worth €211m in production value from a production volume of 38,500 tonnes, according to the Business of Seafood 2024 report by Ireland seafood development agency, BIM.
O’Sullivan said the IFA acknowledged that progress has been made with recommendations of a review of aquaculture licensing, but implementation has been too slow, and significant progress still has to be made.
The essential reforms
The Irish aquaculture sector believes that meaningful aquaculture licensing reform must deliver:
- Legislative reform and consolidation.
- Modernisation of the licensing system with 20-year licences and clear timelines and certainty for licence determinations.
- Resources, staffing and expertise for appropriate assessment and environmental assessment work.
- Improved access to funding despite licensing delays.
- Examine the validity of a plan-led approach – a Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for the Irish Aquaculture sector must be examined, to investigate if there are advantages of the plan-led approach.
“It is now critical that a single piece of legislation is brought forward to implement and underpin appropriate aquaculture policy and bring together all the existing primary, secondary and amended legislation in one single provision – this must be a national priority for the Minister (Timmy Dooley, minister of agriculture, food, fisheries and the marine) and his DAFM (Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine) officials,” concluded O’Sullivan.
Immediate effort needed
“The consequences are real and immediate. Delayed licensing affects business continuity, access to finance, generational succession, and Ireland’s ability to deliver on national strategies such as Food Vision 2030 and the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture. It also undermines confidence among coastal communities who depend on aquaculture as a stable source of employment and income.
“There must be an immediate effort made to reform, modernise, and improve the aquaculture licensing system.
“Reducing the administrative burden and having an efficient, transparent aquaculture licensing system is of benefit to regulators, the industry and aquaculture stakeholders alike.
"Ireland has a natural competitive advantage in aquaculture. With the right licensing framework, we can grow this sector sustainably, support resilient coastal communities, and contribute to national food security and climate objectives.
“All stakeholders, industry, State agencies, Government departments must work collaboratively and constructively to address obstacles. There must be certainty in the aquaculture licensing system to secure investment potential and facilitate generational renewal.”
