Harkin Welcomes Unified Approach on Seaweed
Independent MEP Marian Harkin has welcomed the fact that her proposal that the various interests
involved in the seaweed sector should come together to deal with the seaweed harvesting situation
arising from the acquisition of Aramara Teo by a Canadian company.
She said that the sale of Aramara Teo had been, unnecessarily, handled in secrecy and it had taken
queries which she had raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia to produce a statement from Aramara Teo
about the deal. “We now know that the deal is done but what we don’t’ know is what affect it is
going to have on the rights of traditional seaweed harvesters and on existing and possible future
processors of seaweed”, she said.
She would be attending the meeting convened for Rossaveal on Monday night next to provide
assistance, if necessary, to ensure that no monopoly rights would be granted to anybody who
wished to harvest or process seaweed in the future, she said.
Hopefully there will be clarification on the licensing issue at this meeting, and that Aramara Teo will
provide the information necessary to allay the fears of those earning their livelihoods from the
harvesting of seaweed”, Independent MEP Marian Harkin concluded.
Note to Editor: See below for article from the Halifax Chronicle Herald which resulted from a query
by Marian Harkin as to the status of the deal between Aramara Teo and Acadia Seaplants Ltd.
Further information from:
Marian Harkin MEP
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E-mail: marian.harkin@ep.europa.eu
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The Chronicle Herald
May 10th, 2014
Acadian Seaplants Ltd.'s acquisition of Irish seaweed processor Arramara Teoranta is making
waves on the Emerald Isle.
"Acadian Seaplants is using (Arramara) as a proxy to harvest from North Mayo to North
Clare, " said Tony Barrett, chief executive officer of Irish Seaweed Processors Ltd., in an
interview from Galway on Friday.
Acadian Seaplants president Jean-Paul Deveau confirmed the acquisition by the Dartmouth
firm in a statement Friday.
"The purchase of Arramara will benefit the entire company and will assist Acadian Seaplants
to continue its strategic growth as an international exporter of technically superior products to
discerning global customers, " he said.
"The seaweed Arramara uses to manufacture its products is the same species we use in
Canada and Maine to produce our products. This acquisition enables our company to
augment its existing operations."
Financial details weren't disclosed but Deveau, who was travelling Friday, said Arramara
would continue to buy seaweed from all its harvesters.
Arramara Teoranta general manager Donall Mac Giolla Bhride said the acquisition will
enable Arramara to realize its potential and advance the seaweed industry in Ireland.
"Acadian Seaplants is globally recognized for its sustainable resource management, research,
product and processing innovations and community engagement in the areas where its
employees work and live, " he said in a statement.
But Barrett, who was Arramara's chief executive officer from 1999 to 2007, said the muchrumoured sale has raised concerns that the Nova Scotia firm will have a harvesting monopoly
on the west coast of Ireland and trample traditional local harvesting rights.
"It will definitely have an impact. Other companies won't get raw materials from Acadian
Seaplants because they are competitors."
Barrett said Acadian Seaplants is using the Irish company to apply for a large-scale
harvesting licence that it probably couldn't get as a foreign applicant.
"They're looking for a blanket licence, " he said, suggesting that Acadian was shopping
abroad because it had exhausted its Canadian seaweed quota.
Barrett said he made two bids to buy Arramara, one in 2006 while he was CEO and another
in 2007 after he set up his own business, but was told it wasn't for sale.
"It's not like Acadian Seaplants was the only answer, " he said, calling the sale process less
than transparent.
"It was not an open tender."
Acadian Seaplants is one of the world's largest producers of seaweed-derived products for the
agricultural, health, nutriceutical, pharmaceutical, food, brewery and cosmetic markets. The
company has three seaweed processing facilities in Nova Scotia and one in New Brunswick.
Arramara Teoranta is Ireland's largest seaweed manufacturing company. The County Galway
business employs 20 people at its factory and another 250 part-time harvesters, its website
says.
The Arramara sale has made headlines in Ireland and become something of a political issue
in advance of elections.
Acadian Seaplants, which has 300 employees, including more than 200 in Nova Scotia, recently
received almost $540,000 from the province to help upgrade its Nova Scotia production facilities.