The Government has decided to spend €500 million over the next 10 years to improve water quality in bays and inlets around the Irish coast and to ensure that pollution laws are enforced and breaches punished.
The move follows a decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June that Ireland was neglecting its shellfish stocks by failing to keep clean the waters where shellfish are found.
The court also found that the Irish authorities had not designated enough areas as shellfish waters, breaching an EU environment law from 1979.
The European Commission brought the case against the Irish Government before the Luxembourg court on three counts, all of which were upheld in the final judgment. In response to the court decision that the 14 shellfish sites designed by the Irish environmental authorities were not nearly sufficient, the Government has now decided to designate 54 sites and to establish "pollution reduction programmes" for waters that should be designated shellfish waters.
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Éamon Ryan, announced yesterday that the Government would now proceed to select waters to be designated as shellfish waters.
Minimum standards of water quality that must be maintained in bays and inlets around the Irish coast where shellfish are harvested would be specified.
The Government decision also provides for the establishment of strict measures and penalties to be applied in order to ensure the protection of the water quality in these areas and to commit the resources to implement these proposals fully. These penalties will be consistent with similar offences in the EU drinking water regulations.
This decision will oblige public authorities to report information relevant to water quality in the designated areas to the department, particularly when the water may be affected by activities carried out within their area.
"I am delighted by the decision taken at Cabinet. This important measure will improve the water quality around our entire coastline and safeguard the future of the Irish aquaculture industry," Mr Ryan said.
"In water quality terms, shellfish are essentially the 'canaries down the mine'. Ensuring pollution reduction for shellfish waters will mean enhanced water quality in all of these areas."
Mr Ryan said the Government was marketing Ireland as the seafood island.
"In order to do this we must have the highest possible standards of water quality.
"This decision is an important step in this regard; it also represents Ireland's willingness to follow through," the Minister added.