Minister Coveney’s facts about fish farming practices are disputed

Minister Simon Coveney’s letter to the Irish Examiner (Mar 28) in response to your thoughtful editorial about fish farming does not represent the situation as he outlined it to the Senate.

The minister wrote to you that Ireland has a ‘rigorous systems in place in consultation with the European Commission and we ensure that our best practice systems are rigorously enforced.’ In fact, he told the Oireachtas last July that there are more than 520 licences outstanding, and that no licences have been issued in the last two years.

The minister admitted during the course of the Senate debate that ‘many existing aquaculture operators are essentially operating outside of licence.’