€240m development programme for Ireland launched

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Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney has launched eight schemes to commence implementation of Ireland’s new €240m EMFF Seafood Development Programme for the period up to 2020 and beyond.

“This new Operational Programme more than doubles the amount of development funding for our seafood sector and will be the source of development funding for Ireland’s seafood sector for at least the next six years to 2021,” said Minister Coveney. “It will be the tool to implement the new Common Fisheries Policy, to deliver on FoodWise 2025 for the seafood sector and to deliver the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development.”

The schemes announced include:

Sustainable Fisheries Scheme (€16m) - this scheme will support investment in encouraging new practices that lead to reduced catches of juvenile and/or over quota species with the ultimate aim of improved fisheries sustainability.

Inshore Fisheries Conservation Scheme (€6m) - the first element of this new scheme is a specific initiative providing up to 75% of market price for lobsters which are v-notched and returned alive to the sea to contribute to maintaining the lobster stock.

Fisheries Local Development Scheme (€12m) - expressions of interest from local groups will be sought to establish new Fisheries Local Action Groups and prepare locally developed strategies to identify economic development needs and opportunities in their fishing communities.

Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme (€20.6m) - this scheme will support investment to promote the sustainable growth of output, value and employment in the aquaculture sector.

Knowledge Gateway Scheme – aquaculture (€8.2m) - this will support applied research, new species development and commercialisation, research into managing diseases and parasites, the provision of environmental and business planning advice, and training for the aquaculture sector.

Seafood Capital Investment Scheme (€13m) - this scheme will support capital investment by seafood processing enterprises to develop an added value processing sector which is competitive and sustainable.

Seafood Innovation and Business Planning (€7m) - this will support investment to enable entrepreneurs and seafood companies to innovate and grow businesses.

Seafood Scaling and New Market Development (€4m ) - the scheme will support investment to promote scale and collaboration in the sector and to fund projects which address key sector issues.