Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
67. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the support his Department is providing for the food transformation fund scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52655/21]
View answerMy Department has been working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since 2018 to secure state aid approval for a capital investment grant scheme for the food processing industry. State aid for such a scheme was approved by the European Commission in February 2020.
The Scheme agreed by Government at the end of 2020, has been established in recognition of the sector’s unique exposure to the impact of Brexit and is assisting companies in introducing either new products and/or new market diversification strategies.
The scheme has been designed to ensure that environmental impacts, at primary as well as at processing level, has been fully taken into account in assessing the applications for funding.
This joint funding Scheme, which is administered by Enterprise Ireland, provides for total additional funding of €100 million (€50 million allocated to my Department and €50 million allocated to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) over the period to 2025. Up to €70 million is available under the first call, which was launched on 3rd February 2021 and closed on 15th April 2021.
The processing of applications is nearing completion and the successful applicants will be announced shortly.
