The government is investing a further £30 million in projects to modernise the UK seafood processing sector.
Part of the £100 million UK Seafood Fund, £20 million has already been made available for infrastructure projects, helping to boost economic growth, create jobs and support businesses in their investments in greener technology.
Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer highlighted the valuable contribution fishing communities make to the UK’s heritage.
“This funding will ensure seafood businesses throughout the supply chain are well-equipped to keep pace with increasing demand at home and abroad, boosting production and sustainability and building a resilient sector for the future,” he said.
Successful bidders from the first round of infrastructure funding include Denholm Seafoods who with almost £3m funding will install new equipment to increase production of mackerel and herring landed at Peterhead.
In the West Highlands, Mowi Scotland - an aquaculture processing facility for salmon - has been awarded £2m funding to invest in new equipment to speed up both the processing and despatch of their products.
For the second round of the UK Seafood Fund infrastructure scheme, which is worth £30 million, businesses have until March 2025 to deliver their projects.
Defra will also shortly announce successful applicants from the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme, part of the UK Seafood Fund, which funds data collection and research to support sustainable fisheries management. The final FISP round will launch in December 2022.
