Latest Connemara fish farm could lead to EU daily fines. Government reported to EU

An environmental group has reported the resumption of fish farming in Kilkiernan Bay on the north shore of Galway Bay to the European Commission.

Friends of the Irish Environment, whose submission in June 2013 is being considered by the Commission as part of the reopening of the investigation into sea lice and salmon, have published the REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE MEASURES AGAINST IRELAND FOR RENEWED AND UNASSESSED SALMON FARMING IN IRELAND IN KILKIERAN/CILL CHIARÁIN BAY NATURA 2000 SITE on their website.

According to a statement from the group ‘The reopening of these sites in Kilkieran Bay using expired licences is in direct contradiction of the European Court Judgment against Ireland in 2007 and, if sustained, could lead to daily fines against Ireland.’

A 2007 court judgment found that Ireland has not properly assessed aquaculture operations that might impact on protected bird life as this is required even for renewals. The site at Ardmore Point, Kilkieran Bay, was licensed in 2002 without any assessment and abandoned in 2009 because of high sea lice levels and pancreatic disease. The licences expired in 2012.

FIE’s Report alleges that the Government is deeply involved in the renewed operations. ‘The company involved, Bradon Beo Teo., was established with Údarás na Gaelteachta, the State Regional Authority, direct funding of €750,000 in 2012.’ The group has provided an accountant’s report which shows that through direct shareholding and part ownership of other shareholders, the State through Údarás is the effective controller of the Company read full story / add a comment

We write to bring our concerns to you personally, resulting from media coverage on the 2nd December in the Irish Daily Mail Newspaper of the content of a working meeting dinner menu shared by yourself and President Shinzo Abe of Japan which seriously abused fisheries conservation measures.
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In the wake of Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Simon Coveney's upcoming decision on whether or not to grant the state agency for fishing and aquaculture in Ireland, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, licenses for fish farms in Galway Bay, Slow Food International has reaffirmed its position on intensive fish farms.

Slow Food does not consider open net pen fish farms an environmentally sound practice, Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, confirms. "Open net pen aquaculture is not a solution to the problem of overfishing: It damages natural ecosystems on a local and a global level, including wild stocks, habitats and water quality. Feeding carnivorous salmon in farms means other wild species must also be harvested, resulting in a larger carbon footprint - since the fish feed must be fished, processed and transported". read full story / add a comment

Medium Geoff Keating is fighting to get his horses returned to him after Urlingford Pound entered private property in North Dublin and removed 15 horses.

Spots looks malnourished after 6 days in the pound. Is this down to stress? Lack of food? Mistreatment? Or all of the above? You can see Spots is tied up and the rope is taut. This means Spots is unable to eat, drink, move around or even lie down. read full story / add a comment

The revised wind guidelines published today by the Minister for Environment do not address most of the key issues concerning windfarms and fail to provide any detail on the single issue of noise and flicker they do address

The document is described as a ‘work in progress’, with the details of noise yet to be settled.

These ‘details’ include special locations, the impact of cumulative noise, the noise prediction methods to be used, the inspection and monitoring regime on foot of complaints under EU regulations and any remedial actions. In fact, it is the type of insidious noise that is the issue for residents more than the level, which is all these Guidelines address. read full story / add a comment

The Roscommon Anthology is more than a celebration of Roscommon's literary heritage; it is a book of national importance. The anthology with accompanying literary map reminds us that even the greatest literature is local. read full story / add a comment

The destruction of Kilkieran Bay and Bertraghboy Bay by our state. Nine new cages for Kilkieran Bay and 5or 6 for Bertraghboy Bay in Connemara and more to be added. You could practically walk to them from the shore and this is an SAC and SPA.

Again economically supported by Udaras na Gaeltachta and now run by a multinational salmon feed lot operator. Replacing salmon farms that never worked and got huge funding from Udaras na Gaeltachta in the past and this is a SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION. It is a total disgrace. read full story / add a comment

Akbayan Partylist condemns the cold-blooded murder of its fisherfolk leader Honorio “ Norvict” Baculao in Bohol. Ka Norvict, as he is fondly called by comrades in the civil society community and social movements, had just attended a municipal assembly of civil society groups and basic sectors in Getafe, Bohol on Tuesday when he was shot in the head by a lone gunman. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and comrades who are grieving his loss.

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Below is a statement released by the Maynooth Schools Group this morning. We are
having a public meeting tonight (2nd December) to formally commence the campaign to
reject the two school model that the Minister and KWETB plan to implement in
Maynooth. Indymedia are more than welcome to come along.

Our facebook is https://www.facebook.com/MaynoothSchoolsGroup for more information.

The Maynooth Schools Group met last night and have reviewed all that has happened to
date regarding the new school in Maynooth.

We have decided that we completely and formally reject the proposals of the Minister
for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairi Quinn and the KWETB's plans of implementation to
build two fully vertical and separate schools on the same site in our town. read full story / add a comment

LearnIrish.com launches on crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, in a bid to raise $7000 in just 25 days in order to develop an affordable and comprehensive online Irish language course. read full story / add a comment

“All young people are wonderful if you talk to them in the right way. We are very proud of them!”
That is the message being sent out by a local community bandmaster as two-times All Ireland winning community Marching Band prepare to launch their brand new CD. read full story / add a comment

The European Commission is to reopen the EU investigation into salmon and sea lice closed in September of 2012. The investigation was prompted by submissions from Salmon Watch Ireland and the Friends of the Irish Environment to the Commission in 2009.

The closure of the investigation without the ‘express views’ of Inland Fisheries Ireland which the Department of Agriculture denied it held led to a series of ‘Requests for Redress for Maladministration’ lodged by Friends of the Irish Environment to two Irish Government Departments and the European Commission. read full story / add a comment

GOOD FOOD IRELAND ANNUAL CONFERENCE - SHELBOURNE HOTEL STEPS, ST STEVEN’S GREEN, DUBLIN
Opponents of plans to expand open salmon rearing cages along the west coast are demonstrating at the annual conference of Good Food Ireland.

Open Letter to Good Food Ireland Annual Conference 2013

REPRESENTATIVES FROM 12 ORGANISATIONS

BANTRY BAY TO LOUGH SWILLY read full story / add a comment

Indymedia Collective statement over the recent revelations concerning former editor Pat C read full story / add a comment

WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states read full story / add a comment

Peace III funded project launches an Internet radio facility
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Press statement 13 November 2013

ANTI AUSTERITY ALLIANCE, Dublin 15

Campaigners are taking part in a second protest against water metering in housing estates in the Huntstown area of Dublin 15. Residents and members of the Anti Austerity Alliance are delaying work on the installation of meters by Irish Water in the Huntstown Wood estate.

Speaking at the protest, local Huntstown resident, Bernadette Rynne, said: " We find it incredible that they are digging up our footpaths to charge us for water when there has been a water shortage and the obvious thing to do is fix the leaks. "

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Akbayan Partylist, through its #Akbayanihan Relief Drive, is again calling on the public for donations and volunteers to help the victims of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

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In the afternoon of the 2 November, the peasant leader César García, president of the community association (Junta de Acción Comunal) of Cajon La Leona, was killed in cold blood by a shot to the head as he returned to his homestead with his wife and son [1]. García had become visible through his participation in the Environmental and Rural Committee of Cajamarca for the defence of life, water and food (Comité Ambiental y Campesino de Cajamarca por la Defensa de la Vida, el Agua y el Alimento), an organisation which has been leading the community´s struggle against the large-scale extractive project La Colosa. This open-cast mine has been denounced in Tolima because of the disastrous impact it would have on the community and the environment. The community of Tolima has expressed its rejection of the project through a series of massive demonstrations in defence of water and life, as well as through a popular consultation which took place in the municipality of Piedras on 28 July. On that occasion, 99.2% of the population rejected the mega-mine, with participation of approximately 60% of the electorate [2]. read full story / add a comment

The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has written to management of Glenveagh National Park expressing its concern that large areas of sensitive habitat are being destroyed illegally and for commercial purposes. The Park, which is one of only six in Ireland and is home to rare species such as the Golden Eagle, Red Grouse and Red Deer is of immense biodiversity, landscape and economic value. The IWT surveyed four areas in October of this year where machines were being used to extract large volumes of turf on a commercial scale. There is also extensive illegal dumping of tyres and household debris within the boundary of the Park. New drains have been created, designed to dry out the blanket bog habitat to facilitate turf extraction. Blanket bog is a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive and the affected areas lie not only in the National Park but within zones designated as Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. The IWT believes that this is occurring without any regulation or controls but has asked the NPWS to clarify this. To-date we have received no response. In addition, blanket bog habitats lie outside the scope of the much discussed Management and Restoration Plan being discussed by the Peatlands Council (dedicated to midland raised bogs only). read full story / add a comment