North and north-east businesses have captured a lion’s share of grants worth £20.8 million in the latest round of UK Government funding for the seafood industry.
A total of £18.7m has been awarded to 10 projects across Scotland through an infrastructure scheme to improve capability at ports, harbours, processing and aquaculture facilities.
A further £2.1m has been allocated to four Scottish projects through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme.
The grants are from the £100m UK Seafood Fund, which former prime minister Boris Johnson launched to fill the gap created by the loss of European Union funding for the sector post Brexit. According to the Scotland Office, the latest government support for the sector north of the border will unlock more than £74m in match funding from elsewhere.
More than £6.5m for projects in Banff and Buchan alone
In excess of £6.5m has been awarded to modernise and expand seafood processing facilities in Banff and Buchan in a major boost for the north-east fishing industry.
A total of £5m has been awarded to Northbay Pelagic, in Peterhead, for the upgrade of its processing facility and new equipment to increase capacity by up to 35,000 tonnes a year.
A further £850,000 has been given to Peterhead company Alisrose to expand its wastewater treatment plant.
And wholesale fish merchants Enterfoods, of Fraserburgh, is getting £700,000 for a new seafood processing and cold store facility.
‘Transformational cash’
Banff and Buchan Conservative MP David Duguid MP hailed the money as “transformational” in protecting the long-term future and sustainability of the sector.
Mr Duguid added: “The UK Government funding will ensure seafood businesses throughout the supply chain are well-equipped to keep pace with increasing demand at home and abroad, boosting production and building a resilient sector for the future.
“There is no doubt this money will help to safeguard and grow our domestic food supply in Banff and Buchan, as well as securing local jobs in the area.
“The north-east has a thriving seafood sector and this will go a long way to ensure we remain world leaders in the industry.”
Other awards for north and north-east:
- Aberdeen firm AGD Duff & Partners is getting £400,000 towards modernisation and equipment for a new processing facility
- Lerwick Port Authority has been awarded nearly £500,000 to help with the reclamation of sea to create a laydown area for the construction of a new cold store and increased capacity
- Salmon farming giant Mowi is getting £5m for a new brood stock farm at its site at Ardessie in the north-east Highlands
- Scottish Sea Farms is also getting £5m, which will be used for a post-smolt facility at Barcaldine, near Oban
- Mull-based Inverlussa Shellfish Company has been awarded £200,000 for mussel farm and shore-based “hub” upgrades, including a new renewable energy supply system
Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) is spending more than £600,00 on its reclamation project.
LPA chief executive Calum Grains said: “Reclamation projects have helped shape the modern harbour. Gaining the additional land reflects our ongoing commitment to the fishing industry generally and will enable the pelagic sector (focused on species such as mackerel and herring) to expand its processing capability.”
The FISP cash, aimed at encouraging research to inform fisheries management, includes £300,000 for an Aberdeen University project to assess the effectiveness of a real-time reporting system aimed at reducing bycatch in Scottish prawn fisheries.
And the University of the Highlands and Islands is getting £200,000 towards a project focused on ling – an eel-like member of the cod family – and the collation of new data.
Scottish cash part of £45.6m UK pot
Scotland Office Minister John Lamont said: “I’m delighted that almost £21m UK Seafood Fund investment is being shared across 14 Scottish projects. The fund is a crucial part of our commitment to help level up coastal communities, and deliver the prime minister’s priorities of growing the economy and creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country.”
The UK Government is today awarding a total of £45.6m from its seafood fund to businesses and projects throughout Britain.
Mr Lamont added: “We are supporting fishing communities across the UK so they benefit from better infrastructure, new jobs and investment in skills to ensure they have a long-term and sustainable future.”
