Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this Topical Issue. Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, is the State agency responsible for the protection, management and conservation of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. IFI was formed on 1 July 2010 following the amalgamation of the Central Fisheries Board and the seven regional fisheries boards into a single agency. Ireland has over 74,000 km of rivers and streams and 128,000 ha of lakes, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of IFI. It has a long history of providing rainbow and brown trout to support the fish stocking requirements of Ireland's trout angling stakeholders. IFI's main fish production unit is located at the IFI fish farm near Roscrea, with a supporting facility, which mainly supports the maintenance of broodstock, located at Cullion in Mullingar. There is also a small operation at Lough Allua.

The proposal around rationalising the fish farm operations of IFI is a day-to-day operational matter for the board of IFI, although I acknowledge the major impact on the local economy across the country but particularly in the midlands. It should have been taken into account by the board of the IFI. IFl advises that from a structural perspective, the fish farming operation is based on physical structures and facilities designed and built in the late 1950s and since then and has been meeting the increasing demands of operational and regulatory requirements from facilities that are dated. In that context, I accompanied Deputy Burke and Councillor Andrew Duncan on a visit to IFI's Cullion broodstock and hatchery facility in Mullingar yesterday evening to review at first hand the existing facilities, where we were briefed by a member of IFI's senior management team and the operator of the farms.

I am advised by the board of IFI that it is IFI's intention to exit fish farming operations over the coming years at current locations, with the agency maintaining one aquaculture facility at Cong, County Mayo, which will be used for research and conservation stocking. This site has been identified as having the most potential due to the quality and quantity of its water supply, which is an important consideration for fish production. Ultimately, the IFI hatchery at Cong is expected to be upgraded to a facility capable of housing modern hatchery and research operations. IFl also advises that it was always intended that the phase-out plan will include consultation with affected stakeholders. The former Minister of State had written to the chair of IFI noting IFI's intention to consult with affected parties prior to any action and that a report of the consultation would be made to the Department. I recently met the board of IFI to reinforce the requirement that a full report be made to the Department before any action is taken. However, I regret the lack of consultation and the wording of the consultation when it was advertised. It was seen as a sort of fait accomplirather than a full public consultation to assess the future of the very valuable resource at Cullion and Roscrea.

IFl has written to affected stakeholders, advising them that the farms are operating as normal for 2016. It is important to clarify that the decisions of the board were not prescriptive regarding a timeline or a particular option as to how IFI might exit commercial production. In consultation with the chairman of the board of IFI and on the advice of the chief executive officer, I have decided to extend the deadline for the consultation to 19 September. I ask all interested parties to participate in the consultation. I will shortly meet the chairman of the board and the chief executive officer when he returns from a break to discuss the issue further. I understand the grave concern about the decision made by the board in the interregnum between the election and the formation of the Government. I know there is deep unease and unhappiness about this but I intend to consult fully with the chairman of the board and the chief executive officer to see if we can resolve the issue.

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