Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture yesterday, a delegation
from IFA Aquaculture highlighted the issue of input costs and licensing issues.
Michael Mulloy said aquaculture operators and their businesses will no longer be
profitable unless there are significant supports during this time of crisis to assist with
spiralling input costs.
Earlier this year the European Commission activated a crisis mechanism of
the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), to enable Member
States to grant financial compensation to aquaculture operators for income foregone
and additional costs due to the current market disruption.
IFA Aquaculture is calling on the Government to consider these funding mechanisms
made available by the European Commission to assist aquaculture operators
affected by these severe cost increases – this must be done without delay.
“It’s 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,” he said.
To achieve the objectives and specific actions outlined in the Seafood Development
Programme 2021-2027, the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture and
the Seafood Taskforce Report are to be most effective for the sustainable
development of the aquaculture industry, 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,” he said.
Link to video of the hearing can be found here https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/video-archive/committees/6397
Meeting starts at 1.42 of the recording.
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