The European Commission is taking legal action against Ireland for failure to comply with legislation protecting shellfish waters. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.
Ireland is among eight member-states that have fallen behind in this area, according to the Commission. It has sent Ireland a final written warning for contravening the 1979 EU Shellfish Directive.
Ireland has designated only 14 shellfish areas under the directive, although there are several hundred commercial shellfish enterprises around the coastline. The Irish Shellfish Association said yesterday it hoped the Minister for the Marine, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, would take "swift action" to improve water quality following the EU action.
The ISA's executive secretary, Mr Richie Flynn, said it was time the Government and local authorities "woke up to the fact that discharges from new developments or out-of-date treatment facilities were having an effect on people's livelihoods as well as on the general environment. Shellfish farmers depend on good quality waters. Our markets are limited by the quality of the waters or levels of discharges nearby - shellfish farming is one of the best indicators of the overall health of the inshore ecosystem," Mr Flynn said.
The €30 million shellfish industry did not want to see the Government saddled with large fines even though it had ignored the EU directive for 25 years, he added.