Oyster discussion Ring Dungarvan

The following are extracts from the discussion during 'The Palimentry Debates' which took place in October.The complete debate can be located http://historical-debates.oireachtas.

This particuler abstract featuries a discussion on the Aquaculture Section.It includes; Mr Richie Flynn & Clíona Mhic Ghiolla Chuda, who was representing growers at An Rinne.

Mr. Richie Flynn: I hank the joint committee for agreeing to meet us. I am joined by Ms Clíona Mhic Giolla Chuda from Dungarvan, County Waterford, who is vice chairman of the Irish Shellfish Association and Mr. Jan Feenstra, chief executive of Marine Harvest Ireland and representative of the Irish Salmon Growers Association. They will make short statements at the conclusion of my presentation.

Committee members will have received a copy of our submission outlining the main issues affecting the aquaculture sector. As this is our first opportunity to appear before the committee since the sector was included within its remit, I will begin with a broad introduction to the sector. I note, however, that a number of members present are from coastal areas and need no such introduction.

This is a market-driven industry. We do not produce shellfish for the sake of it and there are no subsidies for producing shellfish. We do so because people want our products. We supply a highly sophisticated and competitive market. Most of what we produce, some 70%, is exported and goes to the catering and retail trade.

We seek the support of the joint committee for the allocation of proper resources to deal with the backlog of licences. It is a bureaucratic issue not a budgetary issue. We would be happy with 50% of the Cawley capital budget. We will have to see the small print of what was announced in the budget yesterday for BIM and the Department’s budget. Some 50% of the capital budget for 2009, €10 million, would be enough for the sector and a dramatic improvement in service to industry. The secretariat has circulated a survey on services to the industry, the final page of which contains comments from business people in the sector. It is clear people are frustrated as they try to explain to their families and workers why they cannot move forward in the business due to this bureaucratic paralysis. I invite Ms Cliona Mhic Giolla Chuda to give a perspective from the point of view of a small producer of oysters.

Ms Cliona Mhic Giolla Chuda: Mr. Flynn has covered the basic points. I reiterate that the biggest single issue facing the industry is the licensing issue. The position is untenable. No industry can thrive and survive while there is inaction on licences. Some people who had intended starting in the business have been waiting for years for a licence. We are not getting service on simple matters such as the transfer of a licence. A man in my area who had built up an oyster farm had to retire for reasons of ill health. He sold his farm and wished to transfer his licence. He signed a contract that the money would be payable when the licence was transferred. He has waited five years for the transfer of his licence and he still has not received his money. No other industry would tolerate that.

Clíona Mhic Ghiolla Chuda picturedI work in a Gaeltacht area which, as Mr. Flynn said, is very important for us. I would go so far as to say that the establishment of the aquaculture sector, the shellfish industry, in the 1980s was one of the issues that allowed the small Gaeltacht area stay alive. It meant people did not have to emigrate. However, we ar e now facing a situation where people are beginning to talk about emigration. This is an industry that can be brilliant for this country. We have a natural resource. We are not polluting anything. It keeps money in local communities. If we do not get service from the Department it simply cannot flourish. By service, I mean the

most basic things, such as one’s call being returned or an e-mail being answered. At present, I might as well send e-mails into a black hole some where. That is my main message to the joint committee. It appears there is no real will to develop or move the industry forward. We are not looking for handouts, we just want to be allowed develop our businesses, to employ people and help ourselves and the economy of the country. Fágfaidh mé mar sin é.

On profitability from the perspective of oyster growers, it takes three years to grow an oyster. Effectively, we do not get a return on our investment for five years. We are at a disadvantage because we have to transport our produce to France, Italy and other continental markets but we are able to compete profitably because of our quality.

At present in Ring, a small rural parish, approximately 70 people are employed full-time in the oyster industry. We are one of three major companies in the area. We want to develop but are awaiting extension to our sites and capital investment. If we receive that, we will be able to increase employment by at least 30% over the next three to five years while remaining profitable. If we do not get movement on the issues we have raised we cannot develop.

It is worth noting that many people have been through this process and no objection has been raised by members of the public to any aquaculture licence renewal or extension. That says a great deal about the way we have integrated the industry with the rural community. Thus far, we have received nothing but reports and promises. The stack of reports we have received on the aquaculture industry have been glossy and beautifully presented but we have not seen action. We want action rather than words at this stage.

Sample of Oysters from Bia Mara An Rinn