Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the recent announcement regarding the traditional harvesting rights of the seaweed harvesters along the western counties, including my county of Mayo. From the very beginning of the lifetime of this Seanad, it is an issue we have fought hard to put right. We had major concerns around the harvesting of seaweed, with particular concerns rooted in the sell-off of Arramara Teoranta to Acadian Seaplants Limited and what it might lead to with respect to the privatising of our natural resource of seaweed. We spoke on many occasions about the increasing value of seaweed with respect to job and enterprise creation. The Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy English, has indicated his intention to establish a body to develop and implement a strategy to underpin the development of the wild seaweed sector and the licensing system.We do not want the delays and confusion that accompanied the other agricultural schemes and grants in recent years to happen in the case of seaweed. Just like Senator Grace O'Sullivan, my party has repeatedly called for a debate in the House on seaweed, particularly on the latest development and the mechanisms that will give effect to this decision.

The seaweed industry in Ireland has huge potential but it has suffered from a lack of strategic Government investment for decades. It is vital for rural Ireland but it must be maintained in an equitable and fair manner, and take into account the concerns of local people. Seaweed is a really valuable resource that must be exploited. Unlike what we have done to date, in terms of oil and gas, we must exploit our seaweed resources for the benefit of the people who live along the coastline and create jobs and enterprises. It is timely for us to invite the Minister to the House for a full debate on how to bring the seaweed industry forward to create jobs and enterprises in an environment friendly manner while keeping the resources within the State rather than sell them to multinational companies.