Written answers

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

Department of Agriculture, Marine and Food

Fishing Industry Development

8:00 pm

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the marine priorities outlined in Food Harvest 2020; the job creation measures that have been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12590/11]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Food Harvest 2020 identifies the many challenges and opportunities facing the seafood sector in Ireland if it is to achieve its enormous potential. I intend to focus very much on those issues that will assist the seafood sector in contributing to national economic recovery and boosting employment.

My main priorities include attracting more landings by foreign vessels to Irish fishing ports to enhance raw material supply to Irish seafood processors, adding value to seafood production through innovation, new product development and new lean and green processing technologies and thirdly fostering the expansion of the aquaculture sector.

The North East Atlantic zone adjacent to Ireland is one of the richest fishing grounds in the EU. The potential exists for Ireland to attract landings by non-Irish vessels and to process and add value to these additional fish catches. This would net significant additional seafood output and jobs in the processing sector. Initial discussions have taken place with representatives of the French industry and they have expressed strong interest. In July this year, BIM will co-ordinate a bilateral meeting between Irish seafood processors and large French fishing organisations, with the objective of encouraging the French to land their catches into Irish ports and enable more processing of fish to take place here. This initiative will provide a pilot project template to attract other foreign landings to Irish ports.

BIM's new Seafood Development Centre (SDC) has made considerable progress in driving seafood value-added activity since opening at the end of 2009. As some 85% of Irish seafood is sold in commodity form, the SDC seeks to maximise the potential of indigenous Irish seafood businesses by increasing development of innovative, consumer orientated seafood products through a market-led approach. The SDC adds value through the application of innovation in the processing and marketing of seafood, by improving the capabilities of seafood companies in areas such as new product development, new packaging and leading edge processing technologies. Where necessary, the SDC provides supported incubation spaces.

During 2010, over 180 seafood companies worked with the SDC. Some of these enterprises have developed a range of successful new seafood products. BIM has set a target of achieving an additional €100 million worth of new seafood products over the next five years. Through this growth, the SDC will enable the creation of higher quality, better paid and robust employment in the sector.

I recently launched a new BIM Seafood Value-adding Scheme, designed to motivate seafood companies to explore and develop new opportunities in seafood by fostering innovative product developments that match current and future market opportunities. It will provide grant aid of up to 40% for eligible companies, subject to a maximum payment per company, supporting an overall investment of €1 million by the end of 2011.

I have made available €1.5 million in 2011 to foster the expansion and modernisation of the seafood processing sector through BIM's Seafood Processing Business Investment Scheme. A call for proposals has just been completed and despite the present economic climate, the call was fully subscribed by ambitious and enterprising Irish companies. I take great encouragement from that.

The expansion of aquaculture activity in Ireland has faced significant obstacles in recent years because of the concentration of aquaculture sites and new applications in environmentally sensitive Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. Some 90 such marine sites have been designated for protection under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives and this protected status carries with it quite onerous obligations to carry out very in-depth environmental assessment of aquaculture and fishing activities before they can be licensed. It also places restrictions on my ability to make available financial supports for the expansion of output at these sites.

I have adopted a twofold strategy to addressing this obstacle. First and foremost, we must ensure that the protected sites where aquaculture is concentrated are assessed as necessary, as a matter of urgency, so that the present uncertainty is removed for ambitious aquaculture enterprises seeking to grow and modernise. A multi-agency work programme has been ongoing for two years now and I expect that we will see tangible progress in 2011. I will endeavour to ensure that this work is given top priority.

The second element of my aquaculture strategy is longer term and that is to look beyond the often environmentally sensitive inshore locations favoured to date by aquaculture enterprises. I have asked BIM and the Marine Institute to examine the potential for aquaculture activity in off short sites and I hope that this work will inform the feasibility of offshore aquaculture activity in Ireland

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