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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today announced €4.9 million in new investment by nine seafood processing companies, with his department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme providing grants of €1,011,184.  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 very pleased to support these nine seafood enterprises to further grow their business. These are particularly challenging times with both Covid and Brexit impacting on markets and the ongoing capital investment by our seafood sector is evidence of its resilience and its optimism for future growth prospects.”

Minister McConalogue added, “My Department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme has provided in excess of €230 million over the past seven years to support the sustainable growth of our seafood sector.  A new Seafood Development Programme for the 2021-27 period is presently being drafted and I expect it to commence later this year.”

Note to Editors:

Ireland’s EMFF Operational Programme 2014-2020 was adopted by the European Commission in December 2015.  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.

The EMFF Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme provides up to 30% aid to seafood processing premises to encourage capital investment in value-adding production capacity.  The EMFF Seafood Innovation & Business Planning Scheme provides aid of up to 50% to seafood processing enterprises to foster innovation in new product development and to support business planning. 

Grant approvals - Seafood Processing Capital Investment Scheme

Grant approvals – Seafood Processing Innovation Scheme