Having received permission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, BIM has begun the process of Statutory Consultation as the next step in the process of applying for a licence for a Deep Sea salmon farm in Galway Bay.
Having received permission from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, BIM has begun the process of Statutory Consultation as the next step in the process of applying for a licence for a Deep Sea salmon farm in Galway Bay. BIM has been asked to share the licence application, along with the Environmental Impact Statement with a list of State bodies for their appraisal and feedback on the details of the proposed project. All of this feedback will be made available to the public to further assist them in their assessment of the Environmental Impact Statement when it goes to full public consultation.
The period of Statutory Consultation has been set by the Department at eight weeks, ending on Tuesday 2nd October 2012. After this period, BIM expect to be asked to go to full public consultation, at which point members of the public will have eight weeks to assess and make comment on the proposed application to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The BIM licence application is to produce 15,000 tonnes of organic farmed salmon in the outer parts of Galway Bay. In a new departure, BIM is applying for the licence, which they will then franchise to a third party who agrees to a legally binding contract to farm the Atlantic salmon to the highest organic and environmental standards. The proposed farm will create 500 jobs (both directly and indirectly) and greatly enhance Ireland’s ability to supply the outstanding demand worldwide for Irish organic salmon.
To further assist the public consultation process, BIM intends to make all statutory responses available on the BIM website, along with the Environmental Impact Statement. The EIS will also be available as a hard copy in a number of designated outlets along the West Coast and the public will have eight weeks to provide their feedback to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Previously, both statutory and public consultation would have been carried out in parallel. However, Ireland has recently (June 2012) ratified the Aarhus Convention. The Convention lays down rules to promote citizens involvement and to improve public consultation in the making of decisions with potential environmental impact by the state. Given the recent ratification of the Convention and for a number of other legal and technical reasons, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, T.D. has signed a new Statutory Instrument (SI No. 301 of 2012), bringing into law new periods of public consultation for fish farm licence applications. In this instance the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have instructed BIM to carry out statutory consultation in full before proceeding with public consultation.
BIM believe that this approach will help to further inform the public during their period of consultation.
Tar éis cead a fháil ón Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara, tá tús curtha ag BIM le próiseas an Chomhairliúcháin Reachtúil atá ar an gcéad chéim eile sa phróiseas iarratais ar cheadúnas chun feirm bradán ar an domhain a bhunú i gCuan na Gaillimhe. Tá iarrtha ar BIM an t-iarratas ar cheadúnas a roinnt, mar aon leis an Ráiteas Tionchair Timpeallachta, le roinnt comhlachtaí stáit chun a mbreithmheas agus a n-aiseolas a fháil maidir le sonraí an tionscadail atá beartaithe. Cuirfear an t-aiseolas sin uile ar fáil don phobal chun cuidiú leo ina léirmheas ar an Ráiteas Tionchair Timpeallachta i ndáil le comhairliúchán poiblí iomlán.
Tá tréimhse ocht seachtaine le haghaidh an Chomhairliúcháin Reachtúil socraithe ag an Roinn, agus deireadh leis Dé Máirt 2 Deireadh Fómhair 2012. Tar éis na tréimhse sin, tá súil ag BIM go n-iarrfar air dul i mbun comhairliúchain phoiblí iomláin agus ag an bpointe sin beidh ocht seachtaine ag an bpobal chun an t-iarratas atá beartaithe a mheas agus a dtuairimí a chur i láthair an Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara.
Tá iarrtha ag BIM san iarratas ar cheadúnas 15,000 tonna de bhradán feirme orgánaigh a tháirgeadh sa chuid lasmuigh de Chuan na Gaillimhe. Is modh nua atá anseo agus BIM ag déanamh iarratais ar an gceadúnas; déanfaidh BIM é a thabhairt ar shaincheadúnas do thríú páirtí a bheidh sásta, faoi chonradh a mbeidh ceangal dlí ag baint leis, an bradán Atlantach a thógáil faoi na caighdeáin orgánacha agus timpeallachta is déine. Cruthóidh an fheirm atá beartaithe 500 jab (go díreach agus go hindíreach) agus cuirfidh sé go mór le cumas na hÉireann an t-éileamh ar bhradán orgánach na hÉireann ar fud an domhain a shásamh.
Chun cuidiú a thuilleadh leis an bpróiseas comhairliúcháin phoiblí, tá sé i gceist ag BIM na freagraí reachtúla uile a chur ar fáil ar shuíomh gréasáin BIM, chomh maith leis an Ráiteas Tionchair Timpeallachta. Beidh an RTT ar fáil freisin ina chóip chrua i roinnt ionad ainmnithe ar an gcósta thiar agus beidh ocht seachtaine ag an bpobal chun a n-aiseolas a sheoladh chuig an Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara.
San am atá caite, chuirtí na comhairliúcháin reachtúla agus phoiblí ar siúl ag an am céanna. Ach tá Coinbhinsiún Aarhus daingnithe le déanaí ag Éirinn (Meitheamh 2012). Sa Choinbhinsiún, leagtar síos na rialacha chun rannpháirteachas na saoránach a chur chun cinn agus chun comhairliúchán leis an bpobal a fheabhsú agus cinntí á ndéanamh ag an stát a mbeadh iarmhairt fhéideartha acu ar an timpeallacht. De thoradh ar dhaingniú an Choinbhinsiúin le déanaí agus ar chúiseanna dlíthiúla agus teicniúla eile, tá an tAire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara, Simon Coveney, T.D. tar éis a lámh a chur le hIonstraim Reachtúil nua (IR Uimhir 301 de 2012), a dhéanann dleathach na tréimhsí nua comhairliúcháin phoiblí i dtaca le hiarratais ar cheadúnas feirmeoireachta éisc. Sa chás seo tá treoir tugtha ag an Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara do BIM dul i mbun comhairliúcháin reachtúil go hiomlán sula dtugtar faoin gcomhairliúchán poiblí.
Creideann BIM go gcuideoidh an cur chuige sin eolas breise a thabhairt don phobal le linn na tréimhse comhairliúcháin phoiblí.
