Government revokes Donegal oyster farm licence

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has revoked an oyster farm licence in Donegal.

Minister Martin Heydon decided to revoke the licence granted to Eamonn Scott to develop an oyster farm on the foreshore at Mulroy Bay after the farming operation failed to commence within two years of the licence being granted.

In February 2019, Mr Scott applied to develop a 25-trestle oyster farm on a 2.65-hectare site on the foreshore at Mulroy Bay. The application estimated that 5,000 bags of Pacific (gigas) oysters would produce up to 75 tonnes annually by the fifth year of operation.

The site, designated T12/548A, is located on the foreshore of Tirloughan Bay, an inlet on the western side of Mulroy Bay and close to the Harry Blaney Bridge.

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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine spent almost three years assessing the application before granting the licence in November 2021.

Its assessment found that the proposed aquaculture development would not have significant impacts on the marine environment or adversely affect the integrity of Mulroy Bay's designation as a Special Area of Conservation.

However, five years further on, the Department has now revoked the licence after the proposed oyster farm was not developed.