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Who We Are

The principal partner in Avonbeg Consulting is Donal Maguire, although we do have a strong network of subsidiary partners with specialist expertise who can be called in to assist on a project by project basis.

With a successful 40-year history in management across the seafood sector, nationally and internationally, Donal can bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to bear on any challenge he is asked to help with.

Just recently retired, after serving at Service Director level for 23 years from the senior leadership team of BIM, (Ireland’s Seafood Development State Agency) and with long service in the salmon farming industry in Scotland and Ireland before that, Donal has a very broad skill-set backed up by lots of energy, determination and hard-won common sense.

About: About

Donal Maguire

Contributions to the Seafood Sector

About: Team

Managing Director and General Manager of a number of successful and profitable Scottish salmon farming companies between 1983 and 1997.

Awarded the Charles Ross Memorial Nuffield Scholarship for Aquaculture in 1988 in Scotland

Represented the Salmon Farmers of the Western Isles of Scotland on the Scottish National Farmers Union from 1989 to 1994

Established and served as Chairman of the Island of Ireland Cross-Border Aquaculture Initiative EEIG from 1999 until 2020

Oversaw the development and introduction of national quality assurance standards, including organic certification for aquaculture products from 1997 to 2020, including acting as chair of the oversight committee.

Established and served as Chairman of the all-island Bottom Grown Mussel Consultative Forum from 2007 until 2020

Established and served as Chairman of the Coordinated Local Aquaculture Management System (CLAMS) initiative from 1999 until 2020, including the introduction and oversight of the ‘Ecopact’ Environmental Management System and the Strategic Unified Marking System (SUMS) aids to navigation for aquaculture

Chaired the BIM Aquaculture Investment Committee from 1997 until 2018 and served on the national committee thereafter. Over the period oversaw the disbursement of some €110 million of grant aid into the Irish aquaculture industry. During my tenure as Director of Aquaculture Development in BIM the value of the sector almost trebled.

Managed the preparation and was principal author of two National Strategy Reviews into the Bottom Grown and Rope Grown Mussel sectors

Centrally participated in the preparation and drafting of four BIM Corporate Strategies

Authored the Aquaculture sections of two national Sectoral Strategy Reports (Cawley and Circa)

Represented the Irish state position in the international trade dispute mechanism called the ‘Salmon Trilateral Process’ from 1999 until 2004

Served on the National Aquaculture Licensing Vetting Committee from 1997 until it was discontinued in 2010

Moderated and organized six National Seafood Conferences, a ‘World Seafood Congress’ in 2000, BIM’s contribution to the SeaFest EXPO from 2015 to 2018 inclusive and many other specialized events.

Advised and assisted DAFM in the preparation, introduction and operationalization of the
aquaculture sections of four Operational Programmes from 1997 to 2020

Assisted DAFM in dealing successfully with a number of DG Environment ‘pilot complaints’ over many years

Represented the seafood sector position on the drafting team for the ‘Our Ocean Wealth’ Review, which subsequently became the National Maritime Development Strategy known as the ‘Harnessing our Ocean Wealth Strategy’