Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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736. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are any plans to devise a financial hardship scheme that can assist mussel fishermen who have been without an income since 2022, as no seed mussel settlements have been found large enough to fish in 2023, 2024 and in 2025 to date. [54954/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Ireland's €258m Seafood Development Programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and EU Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2021-2027, is the primary source of funding for the Irish commercial seafood sector.

The EMFAF Regulation sets out the measures which are eligible for funding. Relevant EU state aid Regulations for the fisheries and aquaculture sector then set out measures which may be funded by Member States themselves.

It is important to note that majority of operators who fish mussel seed do not derive a direct income from it, but rather it is a raw material they relay to their aquaculture sites for the production of mussels in the following years. As these operators have access to alternative sources of mussel, it is difficult at present to fully assess the degree to which the incomes of those who fish mussel seed have been affected.

A fuller analysis of the economic impact would be required before considering any possible supports, and any such supports would have to be considered within the constraints of EU funding Regulations and national budgetary processes.

In the meantime income supports are provided by the Department of Social Protection, with a specific category of Jobseekers Allowance for fishers, known as Fish Assist, further details are available here: who requires such financial assistance is advised to contact their local Intreo centre. Details of Intreo centres are available here: www.gov.ie/en/intreo-centres/?referrer=/en/service/40cf48-find-your-local-intreo-office/