Mr. Michael Ewing:

Our colleague will revert to the Deputy on that question. I will make a short intervention relating to fish farms and organic labelling. I was around 40 years ago when organic certification started in Ireland. I was at the original meeting on that. What I see happening with this process in terms of fin fisheries and organic labelling is shocking. Imagine a farmer in a field. I live in north Roscommon and there are plenty of farmers around me. They would be horrified if they were told that they were allowed to spray antibiotics and toxic chemicals all over their land, which is effectively what happens on a fin fish farm. All of this stuff is basically poured into the water because that is what is necessary to control the diseases that the fish get. It is crazy, yet that fish is being labelled as organic. If the basis of this plan is to get the premiums for organic products, it will fail because the product is not organic and is already seen as such in some parts of the world. We have a serious problem. We are investing money in a plan, supposedly for the benefit of coastal communities, but actually for the large companies that will operate there. Those companies will walk away and we will be left with the mess. It will be another Ispat steel plant, just offshore.

Regarding the commitment of the companies compared with the commitment of local communities, the communities live there. It is their place and they have been there for generations. Whatever they do, they are committed to it on a personal level. They are not large companies. They do not walk away from messes. They deal with them themselves. These points should be taken into consideration in whatever decision the committee reaches.