The Welsh Government has launched a new £1.3m scheme to help Wales’s fishing and aquaculture sector following the twin hits of Brexit and Covid.
The sector in Wales - whose largest export trading partner is the EU- has been hit hard by the Ƶ/ EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) which came into force January 1. Welsh fishers have suffered severe trade disruption.
Many aquaculture businesses trading in live bivalve molluscs - such as mussels - have seen a total cessation of trade.
This disruption has exacerbated what was already a critical situation for the Welsh seafood sector following the closure of hospitality markets due to Covid-19 restrictions
The new Welsh Seafood Sector Resilience Scheme will support seafood businesses through two elements. It will be in addition to the Ƶ Government’s Seafood Response Fund.
The first part of the scheme will see a targeted one-off grant made available to eligible Welsh vessel-owning fishing businesses, with the grant equivalent to three months’ vessel costs, capped at £10,000.
The payments will be based on vessel size and the number of corresponding categories. While similar to the Ƶ Government’s Seafood Response Fund, the qualifying reference period for the Welsh scheme will be longer, providing support to more fishing businesses who need support. The qualifying criteria will be similar to that of the 2020 Welsh Fisheries Grant.
The second part will see support provided to aquaculture businesses, including those trading in live bivalve molluscs.
Businesses will be able to apply for a grant for the first three months of 2021, to provide half of the average of their monthly gross revenue for each month, at a maximum cap of £40,500. The scheme will be open for applications from Wednesday, March 17 and close on Wednesday, March 31.
Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, said: “Since January, seafood businesses in Wales have suffered severe trade disruption – with businesses who supply live bivalve molluscs from class B waters facing closure as their EU markets disappeared.
"Many other businesses have faced a further blow from the closure of hospitality markets due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
“While I welcome the support provided by the Ƶ Government via its Seafood Response Fund, it only gives partial support for Welsh fisheries and aquaculture businesses.”
Small Scale Coastal Infrastructure Scheme
Also announced today was the Small Scale Coastal Infrastructure Scheme – a £1m fund available to all port authorities and coastal local authorities to make improvements to ports and harbours, providing the infrastructure needed as businesses transition towards environmentally sustainable operations.
The scheme will provide grants of up to £100,000 for capital investment into ports and harbours, allowing for environmental, operational, safety and security improvements.
