Two Galway aquaculture projects have been awarded €10,598 in funding out of a national pot of €1.3 million allocated to 15 seafood projects nationwide.
Derrylea Holdings has been awarded €3,750, half of the total cost of a project for the ‘Organic Certification of Farmed Atlantic Salmon’.
The second Galway enterprise to receive funding under the programme is €6,848 to Killary Fjord Shellfish Ltd.
This comes to 40% of the total cost of an ‘Upgrade of rope mussel farm to continuous longline system’ project.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Barry Cowen said that these investments are aimed at boosting production at oyster, mussel and salmon sites around the Irish coast.
The funding for these projects comes under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme, which awarded a grants totalling €1,282,277 to projects which represent a combined investment of €3.4 million in the sector.
The largest grant awarded was €504,665 to Ocean Farm Ltd in Donegal for their ‘Phase 3: Upgrade of salmon farm technology’ seafood project.
“It is heartening to see this continuing confidence in the future by these ambitious aquaculture enterprises,” Minister Cowen said.
“While recent months were challenging for many aquaculture businesses, the overall trend has been one of growing world demand for our seafood products.”
