Mr. John Bhaba Jeaic Ó Conghaile:

Is mise John Bhaba Jeaic Ó Conghaile ó Chearta Chladaigh Chonamara. Rugadh ar oileán mé agus bhí mé ag baint feamainne nuair a bhí mé deich mbliana d'aois. I am from Cearta Cladaigh Chonamara. I was born on an island off Lettermullen-Furnish with 15 houses. I am over 60 years old and since the age of ten I have been cutting seaweed on the shore for potatoes, fruit, vegetables and everything. We cut seaweeds such as carageenan for winter as jelly. The sea around us was our income. The first year I started cutting seaweed there were seven seaweed factories in Kilrush and six in Connemara. We used to dry the seaweed and bring it to the factories and it provided a good income. We would have approximately seven acres of land and harvest approximately four lorry loads every four years, and then let the seaweed grow.

We have looked after our seaweed all this time, and cut it the right way, with a knife. We have looked after the environment and ensured the seaweed regrows. We have looked after everything at the shore, as it has looked after us. Now, one company is coming in and wants all the rights from County Mayo to Galway, which is wrong. We have looked after the seaweed for generations and we should be left as were have been all these years to ensure it grows in the right way. We had three meetings in Connemara, each of which was attended by approximately 150 people. The one thing people wanted was to keep the seaweed rights they have had for all these years. They do not want one big business to take over the seaweed from us.

We are talking about coastal communities which have no factories. The nearest factories are a long way from us and there is no employment in our area. We have nothing against Acadia, Arramara or any other factories, only against the idea that one company would have the right to all the seaweed from County Clare up to Mayo. While a company might say we can do whatever we want and cut the seaweed as we do, I do not think we will be able to do so in years to come. In our area, people cut seaweed to help pay their car insurance, water rates and telephone bills. It is hard work, and if one company gets the licence, it can reduce the price from €30 per tonne to €10 or €20, which would be wrong. If one company has all the seaweed rights, it will destroy the culture of coastal communities and everything we have.