'A victory for environmental common sense', is how Green MEPs Patricia McKenna described the decision to refuse a licence granted by the Minister for the Marine for yet another fish farm in Lough Swilly.

Environmental campaigners received the news today that the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board has refused the licence granted by the Minister for the Marine for a 90-hectare salmon-farm in Lough Swilly. It is the first time that a fish farm licence has been refused by the Board on environmental grounds. The picturesque Donegal Lough is an area of international importance protected under E.U Law as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protected Area (SPA).

"This is a great decision from many points of view, tourism, the environment, water sports and all the other people who use the area, particularly indigenous fishermen ", Said Ms McKenna. "It is a great natural resource and I particularly welcome the fact that the decision was made on environmental grounds".

"This area of great environmental sensitivity is undergoing rapid expansion without any analysis of what the bay can support. What is needed is a comprehensive study of the area and a proper development policy drawn up on the basis of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy for the Lough Swilly area".

Dublin's Green MEP has been campaigning to Save Lough Swilly for many years. She has filed complaints with the European Commission about the Governments failure to properly assess the environmental impact of fish farming in Lough Swilly and has also made complaints to the European Parliament's petitions committee on the matter.

"There are ongoing complaints in the European Commission in relation to the Irish Government and breaches of E. U Law on aquaculture developments in designated protected areas (SAC and SPA's) such as Lough Swilly.

"This decision highlights the need for thorough independent Environmental Impact Assessments before any licences are granted for further aquaculture ventures", she said.

For further information, please contact: Patricia McKenna MEP ‘ 087-242 7049 Angela McCormick, Press Officer ‘ 01-661 7260 / 087-790 5240

PRESS RELEASE FROM ‘Save the Swilly’ GROUP

The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) has upheld the appeals of six members of Save The Swilly (STS) against the decision to grant a salmon-farming licence at Dooanmore, near Portsalon, County Donegal.

The thrust of the six appeals was that the proposed site was an inappropriate location for salmon farming. The appeals body said in its determination that it had treated all six appeals against the Portsalon licence as one. The Board accepted the appellants' arguments that the proposed 90-acre operation would have a negative impact on the surrounding environment. ALAB, which made the decision on the Lough Swilly appeal on 8th December 2003, gave the following reasons:

"It is considered that the deterioration in water quality arising from the proposed activity would have a negative impact on the recreational use of the adjacent Portsalon Blue Flag Beach. It is considered that the proposed activity constitutes an unacceptable risk to navigation. It is considered that the location of the proposed activity would give rise to injury to visual amenity in an area visible from a designated scenic and tourist route and within the views and prospects of special amenity as designated in the Donegal County Development Plan 2000."

Mr Tony Morrison, chairman of Save The Swilly, said the decision vindicated the position STS had taken since its inception. "We have consistently argued that there are many stakeholders in Lough Swilly, and that there are options for development that do not intrude on the rights of other users. We believe many jobs can be created through a systematic Integrated Coastal Zone Management strategy."

Mr Morrison quoted a statement from the Committee on Petitions at the European Parliament, which has declared Save The Swilly's 10,000-signature petition admissible. The statement says: "The Commission welcomes the findings of the ICZM Scoping Study [commissioned by Save The Swilly]. It appears that a fuller coastal zone management exercise would be useful for the Lough Swilly area and should be considered a priority by the Irish authorities in their implementation of Recommendation 2002/413/EEC."

The six appellants were Buncrana Anglers Association, Lough Swilly Preservation Group, An Taisce NW Donegal, Mr BJ Eastwood, Mr Dermot Brown and Mr John Mulcahy.

Mr Morrison said the appellants in this case reflected a wide cross-section of interests in Lough Swilly. He called on the Donegal County Council to accept the need for an Integrated Coastal Zone Management strategy for Lough Swilly. "The initial work has already been done by the Coastal Studies Research Group at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, and now we need some action," Mr Morrison concluded.

Contact: John Mulcahy 074-9159113; 086-2808636; Tony Morrison
074-9363733 c/o Buncrana Anglers, Castle Lane, Buncrana, Co. Donegal