Mowi had projected eight full-time employees for the farm and 15 more at its processing plant in Co. Donegal.
Mowi’s licence for a €9m salmon farm in Co. Cork has been overturned by the High Court, following a legal challenge involving anglers, environmentalists and Inland Fisheries Ireland,.
Judge David Holland addressed the case, which involved plans for a salmon farm south of Shot Head in Outer Bantry Bay, to be operated by Mowi Ireland, the country’s largest producer of farmed salmon.
Mowi, which already operates two licensed salmon farms and a small harvesting site in the Roancarraig Aghabeg area in Bantry Bay, had planned to expand with the Shot Head site.
Judge Holland noted that environmental activists, including Salmon Watch Ireland, shared concerns over the farm’s potential adverse effects on wild salmon. These concerns included increased sea lice infestation, genetic damage from interbreeding between wild and escaped farmed salmon, and lowered water quality due to elevated nutrient levels from sea lice treatment residues, waste feed, and faecal matter.
Mowi had argued that its salmon production would be highly sustainable and detailed that the farm would cost €8.9 million to build, with an expected biannual turnover of €26 million and operating costs of €12.2 million.
The company projected eight full-time employees for the farm and 15 more at its processing plant in Co. Donegal, planning to introduce 850,000 young salmon for harvesting every two years.
Judge Holland, however, ruled against the license, citing insufficient consideration of the potential effects on a local seal population and an unsatisfactory environmental impact assessment regarding the risks of salmon escaping the farm. He stated that he would make final orders on the case at the end of the month.
Salmon Watch Ireland hailed the judgment as a “good day for Atlantic salmon in Ireland.” Johnny Murphy, the group’s director, said it validated their efforts to protect wild salmon and ensure coastal ecosystems are not harmed by the industry.
