Dáil debates

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Sustainable Seaweed Harvesting: Motion [Private Members]

 

3:15 pm

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Táimid ag tacú go hiomlán leis an rún Comhaltaí Príobháideacha seo. Táimid buíoch as na hiarrachtaí atá déanta ag na Teachtaí Connolly agus Pringle. Tá muintir na Gaeltachta ag baint feamainne de réir traidisiún agus cearta teaghlaigh leis na blianta. Is acmhainn luachmhar í an fheamainn. Tá an-chuid féidearthachtaí ann le cur leis an tionscal bainte feamainne. Is gá go mbeadh leas agus forbairt an phobail mar chuid lárnach den tionscal seo. Ba cheart dúinn cearta na bailitheoirí traidisiúnta cladaigh a chaomhnú. Gan na bailitheoirí, ní bheadh tionscal fadtéarmach ann.

Tá géarghá ann an timpeallacht sa tír seo a chosaint. Ba cheart go mbainfí feamainn ar chaoi inbhuanaithe, mar atá déanta ar ár gcóstaí ar feadh na gcéadta bliain. Faraoir, cuireadh imní ar phobail cois cósta agus ar bhailitheoirí feamainne in 2014 nuair a dhíol Údarás na Gaeltachta an comhlacht próiseála feamainne, Annamara Teoranta, go comhlacht mór ó Cheanada. Déanadh an margadh seo gan mórán oscailteacht. Níl a fhios ag éinne cé mhéad airgead a fuair an t-údarás ón socrú sin. N'fheadar an mbeadh an margadh sin tar éis dul ar aghaidh ar chor ar bith dá mbeadh toghcháin dhaonlathacha fós ag feidhmiú in Údarás na Gaeltachta.

An bhliain seo caite, mhol tuarascáil ón gComhchoiste Oireachtais um Thalmhaíocht, Bia agus Muir gur féidir le tionscail na feamainne - acmhainn neamhfhorbartha, dar leis an gcoiste - cabhrú leis an ngeilleagar i gcás na Breatimeachta crua. Dá mbeadh muintir na Gaeltachta in ann tairbhe a bhaint as na hacmhainní seo, chabhródh sé go mór le poist a chruthú. Ós rud é go bhfuil comhlacht ollmhór eachtrannach i gceannas ar raon mór den chósta anois, tá baol ann nach mbeidh na deiseanna céanna ag na tionscail phobail comhoibríoch ar leas na ndaoine a bhunú.

Sa bhliain 2015, sheol an Chomhchoiste Oireachtais um Chultúr, Oidhreacht agus Gaeltacht tuarascáil a mhol gur cheart córas ceadúnais a bhunú do bhailitheoirí traidisiúnta cladaigh, ach níl mórán dul chun cinn déanta ag an Rialtas ó shin i leith lena leithéid de chóras a bhunú. Is gá don Rialtas fís cheart a léiriú a thabharfaidh deis dúinn an cósta a bhainistiú i gceart, cearta na n-oibrithe a chosaint agus an timpeallacht a chosaint freisin.

Like other Deputies, I had the honour of talking to many of the campaigners who were at the gates of Leinster House today. I had a good conversation with members of the Bantry Bay kelp forest group. They are incensed by the decision to approve a licence authorising the largest mechanical extraction of kelp ever undertaken in Ireland and Britain. They are furious that this has been done with no public consultation, no environmental impact assessment and despite the fact that Bantry Bay, which is an absolutely gorgeous bay, has special areas of conservation, SAC, status. They informed me that the entire decision making process so far has happened without the Minister of State meeting them. Instinctually, before making a decision of such importance, most elected representatives would consult the people affected but that has not been done, which is a major problem. I also met members of Coiste Cearta Cladaigh in Conamara who are massively concerned about what might happen if licences are given out without environmental impact assessments being carried out. There has been a huge disconnect here with regard to the traditions and needs of local communities, the enterprise ecosystems of those communities and the needs of individuals to earn a living.

One of the major difficulties is the fact that this debate has not really focused enough on the environmental concerns. This matter is being discussed as if an old local community on the coast of Ireland is fighting against modern, new technology but in truth we cannot have any development if we do not have a sustainable ecosystem and we cannot have a sustainable ecosystem in this type of marine environment with such an invasive type of harvesting. It is not just that we are destroying the environment now and robbing this generation; when we trash the environment in such a fashion, we are also robbing the generations to come.

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