Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Financial supports to the aquaculture sector, as part of the Irish National Seafood Programme 2007-2013, are currently provided by BIM.

In the course of the public and statutory consultation process of the strategic environmental assessment of that programme, concerns were raised by the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards, now Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources regarding the potential negative impact on migratory wild salmonids from sea lice emanating from salmon farms.

The Minister at the time agreed with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that until such time as the sea lice issue was satisfactorily resolved, no financial assistance would be given to marine salmon aquaculture licence holders during the course of that programme, on a precautionary basis.

A policy document entitled, A Strategy for Improved Pest Control on Irish Salmon Farms, was developed by my Department in 2008, in consultation with the Marine Institute and BIM. The strategy included several recommendations to provide for enhanced sea lice control, including the establishment of a national implementation group to oversee the implementation of the Strategy and its recommendations. This group was established in December 2008 and included representatives of the aquaculture industry and experts from BIM, the Marine Institute and my Department. The purpose of the implementation group was to progress a programme of work and plans for setting up, on a trial basis, real-time single bay management pilot programmes to implement the management cell approach, as outlined in the 2008 strategy. An intensive consultation was undertaken with the industry on the proposed programme, which led to the setting up of two pilot trial areas tackling high lice levels detected during the course of the Marine Institute-run national sea lice monitoring programme.

The implementation group's report was published by my Department in December 2010. The report concluded that over the course of its work, the vast majority of salmon aquaculture sites maintained sea lice levels below treatment trigger levels and, in all instances when notices to treat were issued, effective treatment plans were put into practice. The pest control arrangements put in place by the implementation group continue to operate effectively and Ireland's management of sea-lice infestation on salmon farms is now the most comprehensive and transparent in operation in any of the salmon producing countries. I understand that the European Commission has also indicated that it regards the protocols implemented by Ireland for the control of sea lice as representing best practice internationally.

I am currently reviewing the constraint on grant aiding the salmon farming sector and in that regard I propose to fully consult with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

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