Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 September 2022
631. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the financial supports that he plans to introduce for the struggling fish processing and exporting sector in this State, utilising the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. [44457/22]
View answerOn 12 May I was pleased to launch the new €45 million Brexit Processing Capital Support Scheme. The scheme delivers on a recommendation of the Seafood Taskforce and offers grant rates of between 30% and 50% for capital investment in SME seafood processing enterprises, varying depending on the degree of value added of the project.
The scheme is designed to counter the adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It seeks to support the processing sector to engage in transformational change, mitigating the effects of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and Brexit, while also building more environmentally friendly, sustainable and competitive enterprises which serve the EU and wider global markets, create higher levels of employment more locally, and make better and more sustainable use of Irish landed or imported raw material. As the scheme is proposed for funding under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve this requires that investments are completed by 2023.
Separately, a Brexit Inshore Marketing Scheme, delivered by Bord Bia, is underway to promote sales of stocks of interest to inshore fishers, in order to boost prices at the quayside. The plan will focus on supporting the sales and promotion of inshore species such as Irish crab, lobster, whelks, inshore herring/mackerel and line caught hake and pollock on both the domestic and export markets. The 2022 marketing plan has a budget of €615,000. A further recommendation of the Taskforce was the establishment of a Brexit Seafood Processing Liquidity Scheme. The recommendation is being examined in the context of State Aid Guidelines and the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Regulation.
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund is now drawing to a close with only modest funds now remaining uncommitted, however the public consultation for its successor programme, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund has now concluded, with its submission to the European Commission for adoption due to take place in the coming weeks. This proposed €258m programme will earmark significant funding for areas such as processing, innovation and marketing among others.
