Two businesses set to benefit from Minister's seafood grants

TWO local seafood enterprises have benefited from the latest round of grants announced by Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD. 

He awarded  €3,100,055 in grants to 13 seafood enterprises including Castletownbere Fishermen's Co-operative Society Limited and Bantry Marine Research Station under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Operational Programme for the seafood sector. 

Castletownbere was awarded €315,241 while Bantry got a sum of  €3,230.

Minister Creed said: ‘These grant awards are supporting both capital and innovation projects in seafood processing and aquaculture and for the first time we are supporting four capital projects specifically aimed at handling and storing fish landed under the CFP landing obligation.  These specific projects are the first of their type to be approved under the EMFF Sustainable Fisheries Scheme, which aims to support fishermen, co-operatives and processors to implement the landing obligation.'

The grant awards will support total investment of €6.9m in 2017 and contribute to the Action Plan for Rural Development.