The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Barry Cowen T.D. today announced €3.4 million in new investment by 15 aquaculture enterprises, with his Department’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme providing grants of €1,282,277.

Minister Cowen said, “I am delighted to announce the approval of a €3.4 million investment by 15 aquaculture enterprises with €1.3 million support from my Department’s EMFF Programme. The latest investments are aimed at boosting production at oyster, mussel and salmon sites around our coast. It is heartening to see this continuing confidence in the future by these ambitious aquaculture enterprises. While recent months were challenging for many aquaculture businesses, the overall trend has been one of growing world demand for our seafood products.”

As SMEs, most of the aquaculture businesses received grants of 40% towards the cost of their investments, with one non-SME receiving 30%, a new entrant to the sector receiving 50% and one investment in organic certification also receiving 50%. The grants are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and are subject to terms and conditions.

 

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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 then 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 support schemes are available to the aquaculture sector to help achieve the aims of the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development.  The Plan is seeking to sustainably grow production by 45,000 tonnes.  The Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme supports capital investment by licensed 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.

 

Grant approvals - Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme

Beneficiary	Location	Project	Total Investment	EMFF Grant	Rate
Derrylea Holdings	Galway	Organic Certification of Farmed Atlantic Salmon	€7,500	€3,750	50%
Sliogéisc Inisheane Teoranta	Donegal	Capacity increase in oyster seed production	€28,723	€11,489	40%
Feirm Farriage Oileán Chliara Teoranta	Donegal	Phase 3: Installation of grid frames and construction of Aquaculture Workboat	€761,595	€228,478	30%
Glenn Hunter	Sligo	Construction of an oyster handling facility	€68,747	€34,373	50%
Ocean Farm Ltd	Donegal	Phase 3: Upgrade of salmon farm technology	€1,261,663	€504,665	40%
Skipper Shellfish Ltd	Kerry	Phase 2: Increase capacity of oyster farm	€25,876	€10,350	40%
Northern Bay Oyster Ltd	Donegal	Increase capacity of oyster farm	€29,670	€11,868	40%
Mulroy Bay Mussels Ltd	Donegal	Investment in new handling equipment	€75,900	€ 30,360	40%
Killary Fjord Shellfish Ltd	Galway	Upgrade of rope mussel farm to continuous longline system	€17,120	€6,848	40%
Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd	Waterford	Phase 2: Increase capacity of oyster farm	€606,815	€242,726	40%
Oceanic Organic Oysters Ltd	Donegal	Phase 2: Increase capacity on oyster farm	€183,145	€73,258	40%
Rosmoney Shellfish Ltd	Mayo	Increase capacity of oyster farm	€124,980	€49,992	40%
Seastream Ltd	Mayo	Purchase of smolt feeding system	€60,000	€24,000	40%
Rodeen Fish Farms Ltd	Cork	Phase 3: Introduction of continuous rope mussel system	€83,197	€33,278	40%
Seal Harbour Enterprises Ltd	Cork	Phase 3: Upgrade of rope mussel equipment	€ 42,100	€16,840	40%
Total:			€3,377,031	€1,282,277

 

ENDS

Date Released: 01 July 2020