9 September 2017
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Cork based Fine Gael Senator, Tim Lombard, has welcomed Government grants towards a total investment in excess of €200,000 in four local aquaculture companies.
Senator Lombard said: “EMFF [European Maritime and Fisheries Fund] funding of €95,245 has been granted to four of our local aquaculture companies here in Cork, to be invested in equipment and research for increasing production and facilities at local mussel and oyster farms.
Senator Tim Lombard began his political career as a Cork County Cllr and is now a Senator.
“This very welcome grant is part of a €240 million investment over six years in the industry nationally. It is great to see such investment in Cork’s local economy and aquaculture industry; I welcome the continued and increasing level of capital investment in our aquaculture sector which will underpin our ambitions to significantly grow our production in the coming years.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: “The grants are made under the EMFF Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme and EMFF Knowledge Gateway Scheme. Both schemes remain open for new applications. These grant awards contribute to the Action Plan for Rural Development.
“I am delighted to see recent efforts by my Department and BIM to encourage our third level institutions to become involved in the research agenda for the sector coming to fruition with three of our best third level institutions receiving approval for applied research to assist our sector in innovating and developing new technical knowledge to support the sustainable growth of the sector, together with two further industry research projects.”
