Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has launched eight schemes to commence implementation of Ireland’s new EUR 240 million (USD 261.6 million) European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Seafood Development Program for the period up to 2020 and beyond.
The package is being co-funded by the country’s Exchequer and the EMFF, following approval by the Irish Government and the European Commission (EC) last month.
“This new Operational Program more than doubles the amount of development funding for our seafood sector and will be the source of development funding for Ireland’s seafood sector for at least the next six years to 2021. It will be the tool to implement the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), to deliver on FoodWise 2025 for the seafood sector and to deliver the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development,” said Coveney.
“Perhaps the most important thing this new Seafood Development Program will do in the years ahead is to strengthen our seafood sector and support the implementation of the new CFP, and in particular the landing obligation, thereby ensuring the future of our industry.”
Through the program, the minister has allocated EUR 67 million (USD 73 million) in total support to the sea fishing sector, including EUR 45 million (USD 49.1 million) that will go toward implementing the CFP. A key element of that will be a new EUR 16 million (USD 17.4 million) Sustainable Fisheries Scheme, which will support the fishing fleet in making the adjustments necessary to reduce, to the maximum extent possible, unwanted catch or undersized fish and to make new investments on board the vessels and on shore to assist the industry in moving to a more sustainable and secure future.
The program will also allocate EUR 28.8 million (USD 31.4 million) to two aquaculture schemes, EUR 6 million (USD 6.5 million) to a targeted inshore fisheries conservation scheme and EUR 12 million (USD 13.1 million) to a Fisheries Local Development Scheme.
With a total of EUR 24 million (USD 26.2 million), a further three schemes have been launched to drive the development of the country’s seafood processing sector.
“This Government is fully committed to the seafood sector and the coastal communities who are dependent on fisheries and aquaculture,” Coveney said.
