It will be another year before a decision is made on the licence.
A DECISION on an appeal against the granting of an aquaculture licence for a controversial mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour will not be decided now until October 5th 2026, it has emerged.
A decision by the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) was expected at the end of this month, after over 147 separate appeals were lodged aginast a decision by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to grant Waterford-based company Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd an aquaculture licence for a mussel farm on a 23 hectare-site close to Dock Beach.
Appellants were informed by ALAB on Tuesday about the year-long delay, after the Board ‘reviewed’ their timescale at its meeting on October 6th and formed the view that it would not be in a position to determine this appeal by October 29th next, despite the fact that it should be determined within four months of June.
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The Board cited the logistics of managing the large number of appeals, and will make a decision by October 5th 2026.
The planned mussel farm galvanised the community of Kinsale, culminating in a large flotilla protest in Dock Harbour in mid-June.
Over 147 separate appeals were submitted to ALAB, but more controversy arose when it emerged that ALAB intended to consolidate those 147 appeals, lodged at a cost of €150 each, into one.
Campaigners claimed that this undermined the democratic process and hinted that they would go the Judicial Review route if the decision went against them.
A petition with over 7,000 signatures was handed to Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Timmy Dooley in July, after a delegation from Kinsale made the trip to the Dáil.
Cork County Council also made a submission to the ALAB back in 2018,when permission was first sought for the contentious project.
A spokesperson for ALAB told The Southern Star that they cannot comment on live appeals.
Independent Ireland leader Deputy Michael Collins described this latest delay as ‘very unfair’ and the plans were a ‘disastrous plan’ for Kinsale.
Minister of State Christopher O’Sullivan said it’s very frustrating, ‘however, the main thing here is that the correct decision is made and that ALAB takes fully on board the the many submissions made by the public outlining why it shouldn’t go ahead.’
Meanwhile, another Waterford-based company has been granted an aquaculture licence to cultivate Pacific oysters at three sites at Oysterhaven Bay.
Kinsale Oysterhaven Seafood Ltd, with an address in Dungarvan, plan to cultivate Pacific oysters in the bay after the Department granted them an aquaculture licence.
In its application, the company said the licence has been in use for many years and the site is offering ‘good growth and good meat content to produce oysters’.
Overall, there are five licensed oyster sites in Oysterhaven, with three of those used for Pacific oyster.
