Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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479. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he would consider starting the process again to contact fishers directly when grants become available as fishers may not see the updates on the website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2686/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The €258 million European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) programme, forms Ireland’s principal source of development funding for the seafood sector in the coming years. This fund, co-funded by the EU and Government of Ireland, will build on and ensure continuity of the valuable supports provided to the sector under both its predecessor the €240m European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and the BAR funded schemes implemented between 2021 and 2023 on foot of the Seafood Task Force Report.

EMFAF related schemes for fishers are administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). BIM use a range of communication methods to inform fishers of the availability of grants. These include adverts in trade journals, social media posts, webpages, email directly to fishers, information sessions in the community, and personal communication via BIMs network of regionally based staff.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The person named applied for Tranche 1 of my Department’s agri-environment scheme, ACRES. They are in the Scheme, but have been assigned to the incorrect stream, i.e. to the General stream rather than the Co-operation Project stream.

My officials are working on a solution to this case, and will be in touch directly with the person named, as well as their approved ACRES advisor, on the next steps to take, once this solution is in place.