Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am responding to this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney. I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue.

Scientists from the Marine Institute carry out weekly testing of shellfish under the national shellfish biotoxin monitoring programme on behalf of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These tests check for the presence and levels of naturally occurring biotoxins produced by phytoplankton to ensure compliance with strict food safety regulations to protect the consumer and the good reputation of the Irish seafood industry. A variety of these natural biotoxins build up periodically in particular bays, which requires the bays to be closed until the biotoxin levels subside and the shellfish are cleared of the biotoxins. The biotoxins do not harm the shellfish and the shellfish can be sold for human consumption once the biotoxin levels have abated.

The level of biotoxins in shellfish in a number of bays in the south west, including Castlemaine, Bantry and Kenmare, exceeded the regulatory limits in recent months. This resulted in temporary suspension of shellfish harvesting in these areas until such time as the biotoxin levels returned to normal, naturally occurring background levels. Such harvesting suspensions are not unusual and all seafood enterprises are aware that this is a known and recurring business risk in the sector.

While a number of bays in the south west have experienced temporary suspensions of harvesting over the winter, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is informed by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority that the toxicity events in the south west are abating. Most of the production areas in the south west have already reopened for harvesting, and lifting of suspensions in the remaining two areas appears to be imminent. It is difficult to gauge precisely at this time the likely long-term impact on businesses affected and their capacity to recover. This will no doubt depend on a number of factors, including their ability to harvest and sell stock in the water after the bays have opened. The impact will therefore differ from farm to farm and will also be affected by the specifics of individual businesses, including the extent of their borrowings and other creditors and their cashflow reserves. However, the longer term impact will undoubtedly depend on the extent to which their harvest is salvageable and can be brought to market. It may depend on whether the impact of the suspension is a deferred or delayed sales opportunity or an irretrievable stock loss. Some of the businesses concerned are likely to have sites in more than one location, and may be better able to withstand this business setback. Yesterday, my Department had a lengthy meeting with mussel farmers in the south west and their representative in IFA Aquaculture. This meeting shared up-to-date information on the situation bay by bay and discussed harvesting scenarios that have been occurring and will be occurring over the coming weeks. What was obvious was that the overall impact of the closures will not be clear until the farmers have exhausted the possibilities in terms of harvesting the remaining stock in the water.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, received a request from aquaculture industry representatives, which was repeated at yesterday's meeting with the mussel farmers, for a package of compensation for mussel farming enterprises, including those to which the Deputy referred. That request sought compensation from either the European Fisheries Fund or the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Similarly, the Deputy is requesting the creation of a compensation fund for the mussel farming enterprises through the EFF.

Ireland's seafood development programme, which is co-funded by the EU under the EFF, has been providing financial supports to the seafood sector across a broad range of investments since it was adopted by the European Commission in 2008. The programme supported the 2008 decommissioning scheme and since then has funded investments in the aquaculture sector, the seafood processing sector, the fishing fleet, and marketing and promotion of Irish seafood domestically and internationally. The programme comes to an end in December this year and will be succeeded by a new programme under the EMFF.

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