Mr. Damien Melvin:

I thank the joint committee for giving me the opportunity to address it. It is a great opportunity for the seaweed sector to use this forum to address the current issues in the licensing and harvesting of seaweed.

It is important for me to highlight the methods we at Carraig Fhada Seaweed use to harvest seaweed. We harvest the majority of it for food, but we also harvest it for the cosmetic market. To ensure our seaweed is only of the finest quality, we hand-harvest everything. Correct harvesting techniques eliminate further work during the drying and packaging processes and ensure the seaweed is harvested in a sustainable and ecological manner. Our experience during the years has helped us to identify prime harvesting areas and we have found correct management of these areas yields a better quality harvest, year on year. We do not harvest in a linear manner but in a patchwork style which eliminates the possibility of the rocks being stripped bare and ensures adequate seaweed cover for the aquatic life on the foreshore.

Our business is all about sustainability and managing our resource became of paramount importance to the success of the business. We obtained our first seaweed harvesting licence in 1995 which allowed us to hand-harvest seaweed along the coast of west Sligo and we maintained a licence up to last year. We have never had issues in renewing the licence. An application to renew it was submitted to the foreshore unit in Wexford over 12 months ago and to this day we are still awaiting a decision on it. We were asked for further information which was provided.

Experts and engineers were examining it, which is reasonable enough, yet 13 months down the line there are still no answers. Repeated attempts to determine the progress of the application proved fruitless.

It must be noted that it is not a new application; it is simply a renewal of a previous licence. There was nothing new in the application. I am not aware of the issues that might delay the application but I question the complete lack of transparency employed by the foreshore unit up to this point. Again, one must ask the question why the licence was continuously granted up to last year and now there is a delay in processing and issuing the licence. The licence is the backbone of the business. Effectively, we are breaking the law if we harvest seaweed but that is our livelihood so we must do it.

Due to the apparent lack of regulation within the industry our business is constantly under threat from individuals who harvest seaweed during the summer and sell it for a quick buck at fairs and markets. There is no restriction on their harvesting seaweed and there is no accountability. I pay VAT, tax and rates. I conform with the regulations set out by the HSE for my business but I cannot compete with a cash economy. Turnover takes a dramatic fall during the summer months. Last summer was a prime example. August was the quietest month of the year, down almost 40% on July, and July was by no means a busy month compared to previous months.

There needs to be reform in the way the licensing of seaweed harvesting is carried out. No one individual or company should have the exclusive rights to the foreshore or any section of the foreshore. It belongs to everybody and should be managed accordingly. We need to take a number of steps. First, we need transparency from the Department as to why there is a delay in the issue of licences. Second, we need immediate reform in the licensing process to prevent over-harvesting and illegal harvesting of this natural resource.

Finally, what we have is a natural, renewable resource. We are on the edge of Europe. Most of the coast is unspoiled in any way. What we have is probably the envy of most of Europe. We have pristine, prime waters. If we as an industry can develop the resource to its full potential without destroying it, we can leave a legacy for many generations to come.