T12/330A, T12/330B, T12/330C Invitation for Public Submissions or Observations on Appropriate Assessment for Aquaculture Licence and Foreshore Licence Applications, Lough Swilly Co.Donegal

Applicant Name

Fresco Seafood Ltd

Address

Queens Port Pier, Greencastle, Co.Donegal

Description

Fresco Seafoods Ltd has applied to the Minister of State at the Department at Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an Aquaculture Licence under Section 10 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 to cultivate Blue Mussels (mytulis edulis) through bottom culture at the location set out below.

The applicant has also applied for a Foreshore Licence under Section 3 of the Foreshore Act 1933, as amended, for the areas of foreshore to be used for these aquaculture activities.

The Public and Statutory Consultation under both the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 and the Foreshore Act 1933, as amended, has been previously completed.

Location

Lough Swilly, Co. Donegal

A copy of the Natura Impact Statement of Extensive Aquaculture Operations in Lough Swilly SAC and SPA Co. Donegal along with associated documents will be available for inspection, free of charge for 30 days between 3 February 2026 and 4 March 2026, at the following locations:

• Milford Garda Station –Open 24hrs
• Buncrana Garda Station – Open 24hrs

This documentation and information is also available on the Department’s website at: T12-330A, T12-330B & T12-330C, Fresco Seafood Ltd, Aquaculture/Foreshore Licence Application, Lough Swilly, Co. Donegal

Commencement Date:

3 February 2026

Closing Date:

4 March 2026

All public submissions or observations concerning the Appropriate Assessment (quoting consultation reference) can be addressed to the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Aquaculture and Foreshore Management Division, National Seafood Centre, Clogheen, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, P85 TX47 or apc@agriculture.gov.ie.

All public submissions or observations received will be published on the Department’s website.

Submissions or observations must be received on or before the closing date.

Freedom of Information

All submissions and comments submitted to the Department for this purpose are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007- 2014. Submissions are also subject to Data Protection legislation.

Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in your submission and it will be presumed that all information contained in your submission is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

Data Protection

If any data is provided it will be processed in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR EU 2016/679), the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and the DPER Consultation Principles and Guidance. Any additional personal data received as part of your submission will not be processed, shared, or retained and will be destroyed upon receipt. Publication to the Department’s website of personal data associated with submissions will only take place where permission is received to do this.

Further information on Data Protection can be found on our website.

Privacy Statement

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and employs appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access. The Department will not process your personal data for any purpose other than that for which they were collected. Personal data may be exchanged with other Government Departments, local authorities, agencies under the aegis of the Department, or other public bodies, in certain circumstances where this is provided for by law.

The Department will only retain your personal data for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which they were collected and subsequently processed. When the business need to retain this information has expired, it will be examined with a view to destroying the personal data as soon as possible, and in line with Department policy.