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30th June 2014
Mr. Eugene Ó Cruadhlaoich
Clerk to the Committee
Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht
Leinster House
Dublin 2
Re: The Licensing and Harvesting of Seaweed in Ireland
Dear Mr. Ó Cruadhlaoich
I established MB Quinn & Sons Limited in 2001. Until January 2013, the company was involved in
the drying of wood shavings for bedding. I saw an opportunity in processing Ascophyllum nodosum
(seaweed wrack) for export and, due to a downturn in the wood shavings business, decided to
transfer production to seaweed in January 2013.
I employed the services of a consultant with expertise in the seaweed business to develop a
market base for MB Quinn’s seaweed products, and also to advise on the purchase/installation of
machinery to correctly process seaweed. Since December 2013, a capital investment programme
has been undertaken by the company to source and install suitable equipment for the processing
of Ascophyllum at the Ballyhaunis plant. Production commenced in May 2014 after the complete
refurbishment of the production facility. Circa €1m has been spent on the conversion of the
production facility in 2013/2014, with further investment earmarked in 2015/2016.
There has been great progress in our sales efforts, with European & Asian customers visiting the
Ballyhaunis plant in 2014, ordering 3,500 metric tons per annum between them. The company
expects to sell 3,500 metric tons per annum by 2016, requiring 14,000 metric tons of Ascophyllum
in the process. MB Quinn has also developed value added products containing seaweed for the
functional food, cosmetic and agriculture sectors.
At present, there are 10 personnel employed at the Ballyhaunis plant. If sales develop as planned,
the company intends to expand its production capabilities, employing an additional 20 personnel.
MB Quinn also provides employment for service related sectors, and will also provide employment
for Irish companies with specialised processing capabilities for value added seaweed products.
There are also hundreds employed in the harvesting of Ascophyllum for MB Quinn along the Irish
Atlantic coast. Raw material will be purchased from Ascophyllum harvesters from counties Clare to
Donegal. Seaweed harvesters are made up of locals who have claimed traditional harvesting rights
to Ascophyllum for generations. Ascophyllum harvesting provides a valuable source of income to
coastal regions with limited employment opportunities.
Arramara Teoranta, Kilkieran, Connemara, Co. Galway has applied for a licence for harvesting
rights to Ascophyllum nodosum from North Mayo to North Clare.
It has been published in local newspapers recently that Arramara Teoranta has been sold to a
Canadian seaweed processing company called Acadian Sea Plants. My understanding is that
Acadian Sea Plants has reached their maximum quota for harvesting/processing Ascophyllum in
Canada, hence their interest in Irish Ascophyllum. Acadian Sea Plants is a competitor of Arramara
Teoranta, as well as Arramara’s customers. Acadian Sea Plants is also a competitor of MB Quinn.
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I am concerned that Acadian Sea Plants is trying to gain a monopoly of Irish seaweed by using
Arramara Teoranta’s as a proxy.
If Acadian Sea Plants gets a licence issued by the Department of Marine, how will this affect the
Irish seaweed industry?
Will Irish seaweed processing companies have access to Irish seaweed into the future?
I am not against a licence for seaweed harvesting; I am against a commercial entity obtaining that
licence. If a licence/approval is granted by the Irish State to harvest seaweed, that licence/approval
should be granted to the traditional seaweed harvesters who claim traditional seaweed harvesting
rights.
I fear that if this issue is not resolved satisfactorily, that MB Quinn’s staff will lose their jobs, and
that future jobs will not materialise, and that the seaweed industry in Ireland will not develop to its
full potential.
Yours sincerely,
______________________________
Micheál Quinn
Managing Director
MB Quinn & Sons Limited
Cooloughra
Dublin Road
Ballyhaunis
Co. Mayo
Email: mquinn@mbquinn.com
Mobile: 086 819 6016