Kaldvík’s Seyðisfjörður salmon permits remain in force for now

An appeals committee has rejected requests to suspend Kaldvík’s permits for salmon farming in sea cages in Seyðisfjörður while it considers challenges to their legality, mbl.is reports.

The Environment and Natural Resources Appeals Committee met on Friday to consider appeals by the VÁ! association and owners of certain coastal properties in Seyðisfjörður. They challenged a September 11 decision by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority to grant an operating licence for the farm, with a maximum biomass of 10,000 tonnes, including 6,500 tonnes of fertile salmon.

The same parties also appealed a September 7 decision by the Environment and Energy Agency to grant an environmental operating permit for the operation. They asked the committee to temporarily suspend the legal effects of that permit. The committee rejected the request to suspend the decisions while the cases are under review.

The committee said in both cases that questions remain to be resolved. It stressed that Kaldvík bears “all the risk of starting operations under the challenged permit before a final decision has been made on its legality.”