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IFA claims licence delays are harming aquaculture
SEAFOOD INDUSTRY organisations have claimed that €100 million in promised investment in aquaculture is being jeopardised by Government inaction.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) aquaculture section says a backlog of some 280 licence applications must be addressed by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries if an industry employing more than 2,000 people in coastal areas is to have a future.
It has called on the Government to guarantee public funding to match more than €100 million worth of investment which is “ready to go into the industry over the next five years”.
Richie Flynn, IFA aquaculture executive secretary, said demand for Irish seafood was “very strong”, and farmed salmon, trout, mussels, oysters and other species met all the traceability criteria.
“It is a disgrace that major retail multiples can’t find enough Irish salmon to sell to Irish consumers,” he said. “We know that we can sell up to six times the amount of traditional and organically-farmed salmon on the domestic market and abroad if the Government will do its job and process the licence applications on hand.”
The Government’s operational programme for fisheries is still awaiting agreement in Brussels, and Mr Flynn said this was partly due to failures by the Government to implement a number of EU directives.
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