Wales' fishing community is being invited to submit applications to a 1m fund to primarily help mitigate the ongoing impact Covid is having on the industry and adapt to the rapidly changing market conditions for seafood products.
The European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) is co-financed by the Welsh Government and the European Commission and has supported many projects in Wales since being introduced in 2014.
The funding will support investments in the small scale coastal fleet and aquaculture, together with improvements to the marketing and processing of fishery and aquaculture products. However, any project selected and supported under the programme will have to be completed within a 12 month period starting from July this year.
The EMFF application window opens today. Guidance is available for those interesting in applying and a Project Outline Form should be submitted to Rural Payments Wales as soon as possible. A full application will then be issued and will need to be completed and returned by the closing date of 25 March.
All project proposals received will be assessed on the information provided in the application and will only be considered once the application window has closed.
Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths said:
I'm pleased to be able to make 1 million available to support the fishing industry in what remains an incredibly challenging time.
More than 15 million in approved grant awards has already been made for projects across Wales through the European Maritime Fisheries Fund, and a further 1 million of projects are under consideration.
As the European Commission funding is only available until 2023, this 1m will primarily focus on providing support to help the industry mitigate the ongoing impact of Covid and adapt to the changes in the market for seafood products.
I encourage all with an interest to submit a Project Outline Form to Rural Payments Wales as soon as possible, before completing a full application by 25 March.
Details of the EMFF programme and scheme guidance can be found on the Welsh Government website at European Maritime and Fisheries Fund | Sub-topic | GOV.WALES.
For any additional help and support, applicants should contact the RPW Customer Contact Centre on 0300 062 5004.
The long term EMFF replacement scheme is currently being developed and is expected to be available later this year.