IFA Aquaculture, the national representative body for fish and shellfish farmers in Ireland, stated that meaningful reform must deliver legislative consolidation and a modernisation of the system through 20-year licences and clear timelines for determinations. The organisation is also seeking improved access to funding despite current delays and sufficient resources for environmental assessment work.
IFA Aquaculture stated that reducing administrative burdens through an efficient and transparent system would be of benefit to regulators and stakeholders alike.
The organisation cited the BIM Business of Seafood 2024, which noted that Irish aquaculture produce has a production value of €211 million ($224 million) from a volume of 38,500 tonnes. In 2024, the gross value added to the Irish economy was estimated at €73 million.
IFA Aquaculture stated it is focused on optimising existing licensed space and allowing conditions to adapt to efficient production systems to increase these figures.
Finian O’Sullivan, the Chair of IFA Aquaculture, addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs on January 20, stating that licence applications and renewals routinely take many years to complete.
O’Sullivan told the committee that aquaculture businesses have often operated for 10 years or more without appropriate licensing certainty, despite being in full compliance with regulatory requirements. He noted that this level of delay places the Irish sector at a significant disadvantage compared with its European counterparts.
O’Sullivan said it is now critical that one piece of legislation is introduced to implement appropriate policy and consolidate all existing primary and secondary legislation into one single provision.
He noted that while the sector supports robust environmental assessments and compliance with national laws, it requires a licensing process that is, “timely, coherent, properly resourced, and legally robust.”
The current system was described by IFA Aquaculture as being characterised by, “fragmented decision-making, duplicated assessments, sequential rather than parallel processes, and an ongoing vulnerability to legal challenge.” The organisation stated that this results in a state of paralysis where decisions are delayed and opportunities are lost.
O’Sullivan concluded that reform must be treated as a national priority, citing commitments in the programme for government to reform, modernise, and improve the aquaculture licensing system.
