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McConalogue announces €1.1m grants to support €3m investments by 19 seafood enterprises

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, today announced the award of €1,105,022 in grants to 19 aquaculture and seafood processing enterprises under his Department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme . The grant awards will support total investment in these businesses of €2,957,627. The grants are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and are subject to terms and conditions.

Announcing the grants, Minister McConalogue said,

“I am delighted to announce today grant awards to a further 16 aquaculture investment projects, adding to the grants to 28 aquaculture projects I announced on 5 March. Despite the uncertain business environment created by Brexit and Covid, our aquaculture sector is showing a very strong appetite to invest in and grow their businesses. Taken together, I have now announced some €2.8 million in grant awards to 44 aquaculture enterprises in 2021 and these awards are supporting €6.9 million of investments in our aquaculture sector”.

Minister McConalogue added:

“County Donegal has accounted for 13 of the aquaculture investment projects supported so far in 2021, while there has been 8 in Kerry and 7 in Cork. Investments on oyster farms have dominated the aquaculture projects supported by my Department’s EMFF Programme in 2021 and some 11 of the 13 Donegal based projects supported have been investments in oyster farms. This places Donegal at the centre of our growing oyster sector”.

Note to Editors:

Ireland’s EMFF Operational Programme 2014-2020 was adopted by the European Commission in December 2015 and launched in January 2016 by the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine. The Programme provides €240m in funding to the seafood sector (fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing) over the period 2014 to 2020. The Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.

Two EMFF support schemes are available to the aquaculture sector. The Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme supports capital investment by aquaculture enterprises to sustainably grow production and reduce environmental impact of aquaculture. The Knowledge Gateway Scheme promotes and supports innovation, technological development and disease management in the aquaculture sector, together with support for professional advisory services.

Three support schemes are available to the seafood processing sector to foster and support innovation, value-adding, new market development and investment in new equipment and premises. The Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme provides up to 30% aid to seafood processing premises to encourage capital investment in value-adding production capacity. The Seafood Scaling & New Market Development Scheme provides up to 50% aid to groups of seafood processing enterprises who work together to develop new export exports. The Seafood Innovation & Business Planning Scheme provides aid of up to 50% to seafood processing enterprises to foster innovation in new product development.

Grant Approvals - Sustainable Aquaculture Grant Scheme

Beneficiary

Location

Project

Total Investment

EMFF Grant

Allihies Seafood Limited

Cork

Development of a Seaweed Farm

€121,764

€60,882

Crookhaven Fishermen’s Association Ltd.

Dublin

Building of a seaweed grow-out farm

€143,963

€71,981

Atlantic Sea Farms Limited

Cork

Expansion of production capacity on existing mussel farm

€90,722

€36,289

Mr. Sam Lowes

Kerry

Set up a new oyster farm in Kenmare Bay

€14,019

€7,009

Bantry Marine Research Station Limited

Cork

Investment in farm infrastructure and equipment

€139,201

€55,680

Mr. Carl Daly

Kerry

Upgrading of mussel floatation barrels to conform with special area of conservation (SAC) recommendations.

€5,580

€2,231

Loughros Beg Specials Ltd

Donegal

Expansion and development of new oyster sites

€180,581

€72,232

Feirm Farraige Oilean Chliara Teorant

Donegal

Pole System, AGD Bags & Workboat

€1,158,443

€347,533

Killary Fjord Shellfish Limited

Galway

Increase efficiency and to provide a safe clean environment for packing shellfish).

€94,783

€37,913

O’Sullivan McCarthy Mussel Development

Mayo

Purchase Bagging machine & conveyor for oyster processing

€17,470

€6,988

Realt Na Mara Shellfish Limited

Kerry

Purchase of barge, teleporter & generator to improve harvesting methods.

€159,237

€63,695

Tavne Ltd t/a Achill Oysters of Mr. Hugh O’Malley

Clare

Capacity increase in oyster production and new equipment purchase

€14,950

€5,980

Sliogéisc na Rossan Teoranta

Donegal

Expansion of oyster production

€105,490

€42,196

Sliogéisc Inisheane Teoranta

Donegal

Capacity increase in oyster seed production

€18,000

€7,200

Total:

   

€2,264,203

€817,810

Grant Approvals - Knowledge Gateway Scheme

Beneficiary

Location

Project

Total Investment

EMFF Grant

Mr. Simon Hogan

Waterford

Professional advisory services to support establishment of Seaweed farm at Dungarvan Bay

€5,000

€2,500

NUI Galway

Galway

ShellAqua – The development of tools to quantify the ecosystem services provided by the shellfish aquaculture sector in Ireland

€162,729

€162,729

Total:

   

€167,729

€165,229

Grant Approvals - Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme

Beneficiary

Location

Project

Total Investment

EMFF Grant

Errigal Bay Limited

Donegal

Errigal Bay Capital Expenditure

€399,695

€84,183

Ilen Seafood Limited

Cork

Adding Value to Sprat

€63,000

€18,900

Atlantis Seafood

Wexford

Adding Value to Sprat Fish Waste & Offal Utilisation

€63,000

€18,900

Total:

   

€525,695

€121,983


ENDS

Initial Publication Date