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McConalogue announces €1.8m EMFF grants supporting €4.5m investment in 28 aquaculture enterprises

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today announced the award of €1,811,461 in grants to 28 aquaculture companies under his Department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme. The grant awards will support total investment of €4.5 million in the aquaculture sector.  The grants are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and are subject to terms and conditions.

Minister McConalogue said, “I am delighted to be in a position today to provide €1.8 million in grants to 28 ambitious aquaculture companies to further the growth of their businesses and our aquaculture sector. These grants will support €4.5 million in investment in oyster, mussels, trout and seaweed farming.  Despite two major challenges in the form of Covid and Brexit, these 28 aquaculture businesses are showing confidence in the future of their sector and are expanding their production to meet strong market demand for their quality products.”

Minister added, “In recent years my Department invested in eliminating the licensing backlog for shellfish aquaculture producers and this is I believe being reflected in the large number of grant applications being submitted by shellfish aquaculture producers, showing renewed confidence in their capacity to expand with regulatory certainty.”

Note to Editors:

Ireland’s EMFF Operational Programme 2014-2020 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 to help achieve the aims of the Government’s National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development, published in 2015. The Plan is seeking to sustainably grow production by 45,000 tonnes.  The Plan is presently being updated for the 2021-2030 period. 

The EMFF Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme supports capital investment by licensed aquaculture enterprises to sustainably grow production and reduce environmental impact of aquaculture, together with costs of organic certification of aquaculture production.  The EMFF Knowledge Gateway Scheme promotes and supports innovation, technological development and disease management in the aquaculture sector.

Grant approvals - Sustainable Aquaculture Grant Scheme

Beneficiary

Location

Project

Total Investment

EMFF Grant

Dúlra Iorras Teoranta

 

 

Mayo

Capacity building in a new seaweed production farm and purchase of equipment

 

€88,202

€44,101

 

Mannin Seafoods Ltd

 

 

    

Cork

 

Mussel Organic Certification

 

 

€1500

€750

 

Mulroy Bay Mussels Ltd

 

Donegal

Mussel Organic Certification.    

 

€1000

€500

 

B.C. Shellfish Ltd

 

Kerry

Capacity building and increasing production on your oyster farm

€608,007.00

€243,203

Donegal Aquaculture Services Ltd

 

 

Donegal

Construction of Oyster packing facility

€290,000

€116,000

 

Cooley Oysters Ltd

 

Louth

Capacity building and expanding of your oyster farm

€330,115

€132,046

Crocknagee Oysters Ltd

 

Donegal

Construction of oyster handling facility and purchase of equipment including tractors.

€670,899

€268,360

Fitzpatrick Oysters Ltd

 

Wexford

Phase 2: Purchase of Farm Equipment

€78,000

€31,200

 

Goatsbridge Trout Farm Ltd

Kilkenny

Upgrade of Production Facilities

€1,250,000

€500,000

 

Inish Sal Teoranta

 

 

Donegal

 

Purchase of trestles, hooks, bags and other equipment to further establish the existing business.

 

€21,158

€8,463

 

Irish Oysters Harvest Ltd

 

Donegal

Capacity building and expanding of an oyster farm

€100,200

€40,080

Dingle Bay Shellfish Ltd

 

Kerry

Purchase of a new flat bottom oyster barge and grader

€75,280

€30,112.00

 

Keenan Oysters Ltd

 

Louth

 

Increasing the production area of an oyster farm

€448,656

€179,462

 

Mr. Liam O’Connor

 

Kerry

Increase capacity of oyster farm

€18,258

€7,303

 

Mr. Kevin Kilroy

 

Mayo

 

Start of New Business & Capacity Building of Oyster Farm

€33,109

€13,243

                                                          

Mr. Michael Scannell

 

 

 

Kerry

Capacity Increase of Oyster Farm

€15,128

€6,051

 

Natura Mussels Ltd 

 

Donegal

Enhancement of offshore lines to produce oysters using floating bags.

€32,197

€12,879

 

Ocean Run Ltd

 

Cork

Improvement of mooring system and expansion of reusable collector rope

€22,793

€9,117

 

Poulnasherry Oysters Ltd

 

Clare

Purchase of Oyster Bagging Machine

€8,500

€3,400

 

Saddle Rock Fisheries Ltd

 

 

 

Donegal

Purchase of trestles and bags to develop new oyster sites at Saddle Rock Fisheries Ltd.

 

€58,730

€23,492

 

 

Sofi Shellfish Ltd

 

 

Mayo

Increase capacity of an Oyster Farm

€11,990

€4,796

 

Trabay Ltd

 

Donegal

To increase and secure oyster production

€38,400

€15,360

 

Turkhead Enterprises Ltd

 

Cork

Purchase of mussel line moulds, ropes and bags

€34,075

€13,630

 

Wild Atlantic Sea Products Ltd

 

Cork

Deployment of seaweed farm

€20,180

€10,090

 

Cromane Bay Shellfish

 

Kerry

Purchase of circular grader and oyster barge

€151,266

€60,506

 

Sciana Mara Teoranta

 

Mayo

To build capacity and upgrade, to increase efficiency and deal with bigger volumes

€24,067

€9,627

Oisri Min an Chairn Teoranta

 

Donegal

Capacity building of new oyster sites

€12,755

€6,378

 

Dooriel Fisheries Ltd

 

Mayo

Upgrade to Water Oyster Grading Line

€53,280

€ 21,312

Total:

 

 

€4,497,745

€1,811,461