Minister will address Irish fish farmers' AGM as sector pushes for reform
Irish government minister Timmy Dooley, whose portfolio includes aquaculture, will address the annual general meeting of the Irish Farmers Association’s Aquaculture division (IFA Aquaculture) on Monday, April 13.
In the afternoon, the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Implementation Steering Group will then present on a selection of the actions from the National Strategic Plan and how they are being implemented. Questions and feedback on the presentations from IFA Aquaculture members are welcome.
Dooley’s attendance at the AGM at the Radisson Hotel, Athlone, offers IFA Aquaculture another opportunity to press its case for urgent reforms to the country’s aquaculture regulations.
'Unacceptable uncertainty'
In January, IFA Aquaculture chair Finian O’Sullivan told the Irish Parliament’s Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries & Maritime Affairs that in some cases, aquaculture businesses have operated for a decade or more without appropriate licensing certainty, despite full compliance with regulatory requirements.
“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.
“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.
Fragmented decision-making
“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.”
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.
- Examination of 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.
Details on registration, full agenda, and information regarding the AGM will be issued to IFA Aquaculture members in the coming weeks.
Accommodation can be secured by contacting the Radisson Hotel, Athlone reservations team directly by March 19 and mentioning that you are attending the Irish Farmers Association event to benefit from agreed rates of €127.50 per person per night for single-occupance BB rooms, and €142.50 per room for twin/double occupancy rooms.
