August 11, 2010

New oyster fees set for South Australia

The state government and the South Australian Oyster Growers Association have agreed on new aquaculture licence fees for 2010 / 2011.

The fees fund regulatory activity undertaken by the Aquaculture section of the Primary Industries and Resources of South Australia (PIRSA), including leasing and licensing, compliance, resource management and environment and biosecurity.

The change to the current periodic fees represents an increase of less than one quarter of 1% of the oyster industry's total value at the farm gate.

The actual amount for each grower varies depending on the scale of their operation and how many sites they have.

Fisheries Minister Michael O'Brien said the accord with the oyster industry followed two years of negotiation and transition.

He said discussions had led to the adoption of an activity-based approach under nationally recognised principles of cost recovery.

"PIRSA Aquaculture has been reviewing its business plan and prioritising its objectives to ensure that all responsibilities under the Aquaculture Act 2001 are covered, and that services will continue to be delivered in an efficient and effective way."

"We asked for transparency and we were impressed with the level of detail provided," SA Oyster Growers Association president Bruce Zippel said.

He added that an open consultation process would continue in coming years to ensure that government costs were clearly identifiable.