The government announced increased financial support for the seafood industry with cash grants for seafood and aquaculture businesses across the UK.

In January, the government made available £ 23million for seafood exporters which suffered financial loss due to delays in exporting fresh or live fish and shellfish to the EU in January 2021.

After listening to the concerns of fishing companies across the UK, Defra will now expand the eligibility criteria to target catching and shellfish farming businesses that have been affected by reduced demand from the hospitality industry. in the UK and abroad, as well as the disruption of exports to the EU. These expanded criteria will allow more businesses to get the support they need.

The scheme, which is similar to last year’s Fisheries Response Fund set up in response to the coronavirus pandemic, will open in early March and provide a grant payment to cover up to three months of average fixed costs for businesses incurred between January and March 2021. This will help catching and shellfish farming businesses with costs such as insurance, equipment rental and shipping costs.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

Our fishermen are at the heart of many of our coastal communities and we recognize the impact of the coronavirus and the end of the transition period on them. This extension of our £ 23million support program will allow many more companies to benefit from government support.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the shutdown of critical markets, and this has been exacerbated by the problems faced by exporters at the border. We will continue to make sure we listen to our fishing and seafood industry as we work to resolve these issues and work with them to grow the industry in the months and years to come.

UK Government Minister for Scotland David Duguid said:

Over the past several months, we have listened to the seafood industry and continued to monitor the impacts of the pandemic and the export disruption on prices, exports and the market.

I am confident in the quality of Scottish fish and seafood, but for many fishing companies the lack of demand in the hospitality industry in the UK and beyond has had a real impact on prices of the market.

As we continue to take action to defeat this virus and work with the industry to resolve export issues, this expanded support program will help the many small and medium fishing businesses that support so many of our coastal communities.

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis said:

The fishing industry plays an important role in Northern Ireland for its people and communities, supporting around 2,000 jobs.

This expansion of the government’s £ 23million response fund will ensure that the fishing and aquaculture industry in Northern Ireland receives the financial and practical support it needs.

Wales Secretary of State Simon Hart said:

The expansion of the Seafood Disruption Support Scheme highlights the UK government’s commitment to Welsh exporters who are currently facing a particularly difficult time.

We want to support our fantastic Welsh businesses and I encourage anyone who is eligible to apply for this support.

The main features of the scheme are:

• For the UK catching industry, the fund will be open to owners of vessels of less than 40 million people with a fishing license who have a history of fishing during the winter months.
• The program will provide support to shellfish companies in the UK, support will be provided on the basis of average ongoing costs based on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per company. Companies that have received a grant under the recent Seafood Producers Resilience Fund in Scotland will not be eligible for the UK scheme.
• The Marine Management Organization will administer the fund across the UK on behalf of Defra, contacting registered owners and eligible licensees directly with details of the application process, from early March.
• A single payment will be made to cover part of the fixed costs over a period of three months from January to March 2021.

The funding follows targeted support to help exporters with new processes. This includes the Seafood Export Working Group, which meets twice a week to resolve issues raised by the industry; and a newly established Scottish Seafood Exports Task Force.

Britain’s fishing and seafood sector is also set to benefit from significant government investment with a £ 100million fund to help modernize fishing fleets, the fish processing industry and rejuvenate a historic industry and proud in the UK, on ​​top of the £ 32million. which will replace EU funding this year.

The government also continues to seek an urgent solution to the export problems, including the EU’s ban on imports of Class B live bivalve molluscs, and will explore other means by which producers can continue to export these. Precious seafood. British mussels and oysters are highly sought after at home and abroad. The sector has been heavily impacted by the Covid restrictions, and now the trade barriers imposed by the EU.

The government is also providing broader support to the sector, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Program, the Leave Program and the recently launched program. Brexit SME Support Fund to help companies cope with export requirements.

Information on the Seafood Response Fund and program directions are published on GOV.UK.