Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding salmon farms here; if there are any plans for the future regulation of the industry and the current position of sea lice control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7482/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Applications for aquaculture licences for the cultivation of salmon are considered by my Department in accordance with the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act and related national and EU legislation. My Department’s regulatory regime for salmon farms is also governed by this legislation.

The control of sea lice is managed by the Marine Institute on behalf of the State. The sea lice monitoring and control programme in place in Ireland is comprehensive and transparent with all farms inspected 14 times per annum by independent inspectors from the Marine Institute. The results are circulated to all interested parties monthly and published annually. The Irish monitoring and control programme is unique in that it is completely independent of industry and the full results are published. It is comprehensive in that all farms and all sites are inspected.

These protocols are considered to be more advanced than those operated in other jurisdictions for the following reasons:

- The inspection regime is totally independent of the industry.

- Data obtained as a result of inspections is published and made widely available.

- Treatment trigger levels are set at a low level.

The monitoring and control programme in Ireland has been acknowledged by the Environment Directorate (DG Environment) of the EU Commission as representing international best practice.