Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
454. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional supporting measures that he is considering introducing through the Brexit adjustment reserve fund to assist the Irish fishing, aquaculture and processing industries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41513/23]
View answerI established the Seafood Sector Task Force in March 2021 to examine the impacts of Brexit/EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on our fishing sector and coastal communities. The Task Force report of October 2021 made 16 recommendations.
To date, under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund (BAR), I have announced 11 schemes with a total budget allocation of €271.3 million, as follows:
• Temporary Tie-Up 2021 Scheme
• Inshore Fisheries Business Model Adjustment Scheme 2022 and 2023
• Temporary Tie-Up 2022 Scheme
• Brexit Co-operative Transition Scheme
• Brexit Voluntary Decommissioning Scheme
• Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme
• Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme
• Seafood Capital Processing Support Scheme
• Inshore Marketing Scheme
• Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme
• Off Register Capacity Buy Out Scheme
Four new schemes have been submitted to the European Commission for State Aid approval. Those schemes are:
1. Brexit Pelagic Fisheries Support Scheme
2. Brexit Fish Processor Transition Scheme
3. Brexit Specific Scallop Fleet Transition Support Scheme
4. Brexit Fisheries Cooperative Transition Scheme 2023
The Brexit Pelagic Fisheries Support Scheme reflects support to the pelagic sector to compensate for the loss of quota, with a focus exclusively on liquidity supports for RSW and Tier 1 and Tier 2 vessels. I estimate that the cost of the scheme, assuming 100% up-take, will amount to some €25.6 million.
The Brexit Fish Processor Transition Scheme is a liquidity scheme for seafood processors, to compensate for losses due to reduced supply of raw material and additional logistical and administration costs through non-tariff barriers which arose due to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement/Brexit. In line with the Task Force recommendations, payments will be capped at €300,000 per applicant, and I estimate a total budget of €12 million.
The Brexit Specific Scallop Fleet Transition Support Scheme is a liquidity scheme that will be restricted to the seven vessels in the scallop fleet. It will compensate the owners of scallop vessels impacted by the TCA, with payments capped at a maximum of 20 days per vessel. This scheme has a budget of €560,000, or up to €80,000 per vessel.
The Brexit Fisheries Cooperative Transition Scheme 2023 will compensate fisheries cooperatives for losses experienced in 2022. The scheme will compensate for 7.5% of lost revenue in 2022 compared to 2019, up to a cap of €250,000.
Full scheme details will be published once State Aid approval is granted, and as with all BAR schemes, the four new schemes will be administered by an Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
Details of all BAR funded schemes implemented to date are available at bim.ie/fisheries/funding.
