- New £1 million grant scheme opened today to increase supply
of local seafood
- Seafood businesses can bid for funds for assets and
infrastructure to sell seafood
- Part of a £10 million fund for England’s fishing and
aquaculture sectors
The government has today opened for applications a
new Domestic Seafood Supply
Scheme, which will fund projects that will help seafood
businesses in England increase the supply of local seafood to
domestic markets.
The £1 million scheme, first announced by Defra and HM Treasury
on 17 April, is part of a £10 million fund for
England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors that have been
adversely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as this financial support, qualifying seafood businesses
may also qualify for other Government support. MMO has produced
a guide to what is
available.
This scheme will help seafood businesses adapt to changes in
their markets caused by COVID-19 by helping fund changes to
businesses and/or infrastructure that will help them to sell
their products domestically, and support projects that increase
domestic consumption of seafood landed or processed in England.
The Marine Management
Organisation (MMO) will accept applications for projects
that support domestic sales of locally-caught fish and shellfish
from Wednesday 29 April to Monday 11 May.
Projects will be assessed by a panel including industry
representatives. Successful applications will be announced from
Friday 15 May.
The scheme will fund measures that assist the industry to set up
local and regional distribution such as plant and equipment to
help with local fish processing, or assets that can be shared at
port such as storage and refrigerated vans.
Fisheries Minister, said:
This new grant scheme, part of a £10 million lifeline for our
fisheries sector, will help our fishing industry find new
markets for their catch during this challenging time which has
seen falling prices and a downturn in restaurant and export
sales.
With growing demand for meals at home we are also looking for
innovative ways to help fishermen adapt and be equipped to sell
direct to local consumers.
Applications are
invited from groups of businesses in the fishing,
aquaculture and fish processing industries or individual
businesses engaged in activities which support the seafood supply
chain.
Projects are invited that:
- Maintain the availability of fisheries products through
innovative regional distribution.
- Support the development of infrastructure to sell fish landed
into English ports, or fish processed in England, to domestic
consumers.
- Help develop the infrastructure necessary for the catching
and processing sectors to connect directly with consumers (e.g.
either through online platforms or through facilitation on the
ground).
- Have the potential to generate longer-term sustainable
benefit to the seafood industry, creating supply chain resilience
To support fisheries, the MMO has expanded its grants team and
increased its opening hours to administer the Fisheries Response
Fund (FRF) which was announced at the same time as the Domestic
Seafood Supply Scheme. In the first week, the MMO team has made
FRF payments of over £2 million to over 500 fishing vessel owners
so far.
Tom McCormack, Chief Executive Officer of the MMO said:
Our MMO team is highly experienced in supporting the fisheries
industry and has mobilised to design and deliver the new FRF
and now the Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme in the fastest
possible time. With the support of the fishing industry we have
set up a panel who will make the decisions to ensure that our
industry gets the funds needed to be able to make the greatest
difference in developing the domestic market.
To apply for the Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme
visit www.gov.uk/mmo.
Development is also underway to provide other support for the
aquaculture sector under the Fisheries Response Fund (FRF). An
announcement is planned soon.
