Kinsale locals to submit petition against mussel farm

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition objecting to the granting of planning permission for a mussel farm in Kinsale, Co Cork.

Locals in Kinsale will gather both on land and sea at 6.30pm to register their opposition to the granting of a license to shellfish company, Waterford based Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd, to pursue the operation.

A 23-hectare bottom-culture mussel farm, has been granted approval by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine sparking opposition among residents, environmental advocates, and local groups.

The proposed site is located directly adjacent to Dock Beach.

The protest flotilla will include fishing vessels, sailing boats, paddle boards, kayaks and swimmers.

The Department of Marine granted the license in May with objectors having a month to appeal the decision.

Kinsale resident, Donal Hayes, says the planning decision flies in the face of the entire community.

“There’s an incredible sense of community and concern and there’s a kind of a spirit of volunteerism and local initiatives. There’s a feeling of us all being in this together.

“This campaign marks a turning point in local civic engagement, with the people of Kinsale uniting to defend their coastal environment, heritage, and way of life”.

Cork County Councillors are to lodge a formal objection to the decision to grant planning permission to the controversial project.

Cllr Gillian Coughlan of Fianna Fáil told a meeting of Cork County Council earlier this week that to say Kinsale locals “were disappointed and dismayed” at the granting of the licence, “is an understatement”.

Residents say they are outraged that the project has been allowed to proceed without what they perceive as public consultation or proper scrutiny of the ecological impact.

The Kinsale Swimmers, a year-round sea swimming group, voiced particular concern that dredging activity would stir up silt for up to six weeks, severely degrading water quality and making the beach unusable for swimming.

They also raised alarm about the accumulation of mussel faeces, which they say would pose a long-term threat to water quality in the bay.

Earlier this week, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that the licence for the project was granted following consultation with scientific advisors and statutory consultees.

“The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation, which for this application apparently was held in 2019 and was rerun in 2021.

“In total, there were 609 public submissions received.

“I’m told that the decisions in respect of agricultural licence applications are only taken following the fullest consideration of all consultations and public interest elements of each application, including environmental considerations.

“An appeal against an aqua culture licence decision may be made in writing within one month. So there is a process here,” he said.

Also speaking in the Dáil, Cork Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins said the process in which the aquaculture licence was granted is “flawed” citing issues around “transparency with the licence award, a lack of public consultation, and a lack of monitoring of environmental impacts”.

Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd has been contacted for comment.