Delay in processing aquaculture licences ‘puts 2,000 jobs on hold’

UP to 2,000 coastal jobs and a potential €150 million in exports are on hold due to the Government’s slow processing of 600 aquaculture licences, according to the Irish Shellfish Association.

Speaking at the IFA Aquaculture conference in Kinsale, Co Cork, ISA leader Flor Harrington said: “IFA estimates that by processing licence applications and meeting the targets of Food Harvest 2020, we can create an additional 2,000 jobs and another €150m in exports. This is not just an aspiration for communities around the coast — it is an imperative.

“There are almost 600 licences backed up in the department and, no matter what spin you want to put on it, this is holding up a key sector of the economy which provides 1,700 full-and part-time jobs and over €40m in export income. The places we work in are peripheral, rural coastal areas with very little alternative opportunities for our young people,” he said.