Friday, October 17, 2008
THIRTY jobs a month are being lost due to Government inaction to develop the salmon and shellfish sector, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was told by a delegation from the Irish Farmers Association’s Aquaculture Section.
The delegation from Donegal, Galway, west Cork and Waterford pointed out to TDs and senators that no extra funding was required to provide much needed employment and economic activity in peripheral communities.
What was needed was simply action by Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith to implement government policy on aquaculture licensing and capital funding.
It pointed out that aquaculture accounts for over half of all fish consumed in the world and just over one third of all seafood produced in Ireland. The sector will need to rapidly develop to meet the massively growing demand for fish worldwide as wild fisheries continue to decline.
The delegation said the industry uses local natural resources to provide much production and added-value jobs.
IFA Aquaculture executive secretary, Richie Flynn, said the industry had invested heavily in quality assurance, environmental management, organic certification and added value consumer products.
He said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Bank and recently 18 EU member states clearly said the industry must be supported for a sustainable future for seafood, but the Irish Government appears to be determined to push our industry out of business.
The delegation pointed out that the licensing system for aquaculture production had completely collapsed, with producers waiting up to 70 months for licence applications to be processed.
The IFA team called on the committee to ensure the Government implemented its own policy immediately and showed clear support for an industry which is one of the few opportunities for growth, wealth and employment in rural Ireland.
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