Support For Scottish Seafood Industry Worth £22.5 Million
17th April 2020
More than 1,000 businesses now eligible for help.
The announcement today of a further £3.5 million to help large sea fishing vessels brings the total made available to the seafood industry by the Scottish Government from new and existing funds to £22.5 million.
The Government has used UK funding as well as existing Scottish budget to help meet the unique needs and circumstances of key sectors in the rural economy hit hard by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
While the four financial support schemes announced so far will in particular help businesses based in coastal and island communities, key employers around Scotland involved in fish processing and trout farming will also benefit.
The latest scheme will provide capped payments of up to £21,370 per vessel to businesses with a vessel over 12 metres landing shellfish such as crab, lobster, scallop and langoustine to help them meet fixed costs like insurance. It will also provide up to £42,740 for businesses operating more than one vessel. Amounts will be graduated by fleet segment and length category.
Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said:"I have been working closely with the fishing and aquaculture industry since the global COVID-19 outbreak began, and have listened to calls from businesses who have seen their livelihoods disappear overnight as their markets have shut down in response to vital public health advice.
"This latest funding benefits more than 220 Scottish vessels over 12 metres. Overall, more than 1,000 fishing and aquaculture businesses are now eligible for funding to help them, their crews and staff through this unprecedented period.
"We are using Scottish and UK Government funds to support the unique needs and circumstances of Scotland's economy, particularly to help safeguard livelihoods in coastal and island communities. This package represents the most comprehensive set of measures to support fishing and fish farming anywhere in the UK.
"Support being provided to businesses operating vessels over 12 metres finalises the relief we can offer to the sea fishing and aquaculture sectors to mitigate the economic and social impact of COVID-19 having exhausted current transitional funding streams. Discussions with industry will continue as to the impact on future sector spend. I would urge the public to play their part in supporting these key contributors to Scotland's food success story by buying Scottish seafood and fish if they can."
Elspeth Macdonald, CEO of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF), said:“We welcome this further tranche of financial support for the Scottish fishing fleet, much of which has been under severe pressure since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our markets, first abroad and then at home. Most of the Scottish shellfish fleet has been tied up for almost a month now, as restrictions and lockdowns mean restaurant, hospitality and foodservice markets around the world that normally enjoy Scottish seafood, have essentially disappeared.
“Fishing businesses are floating businesses, so are not eligible for the Covid Small Business Grants Scheme based on rateable premises. We are grateful to Fergus Ewing and Marine Scotland for having regular dialogue with us, listening to industry, and acting quickly to provide support to the fishing industry and wider seafood sector, on which so many of our coastal communities depend."
Elaine Whyte, a National Co-ordinator for Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance, said:“COVID-19 has had a great impact on our fishing communities, closing markets completely and reducing much-relied-upon income for coastal families nationally. We've worried greatly about securing some type of emergency assistance for this section of society which had lost the ability to earn a living at sea and provide for their families, many of whom not were not eligible for other forms of current support.
“We sincerely thank the Scottish Government for addressing the needs of people who fish for a living, most of whom live in already fragile Scottish coastal communities. The support offered will hopefully help save vulnerable businesses which are the backbone of their villages and towns."
The over 12 metre fleet support scheme is open to businesses operating active Scottish registered and licensed vessels over 12 metres in overall length only, where a vessel made a minimum of £20,000 landings in 2019.
Grants will be made on the basis of three months equivalent of recurring fixed costs, excluding elements such as mortgages, interest, depreciation, crew costs and fishing gear repairs or purchases are not included in these costs. The fixed costs are based on data gathered by Seafish as part of their Annual Fleet Economic Surveys.
Information about other schemes is available at:
Coronavirus support for seafood fishing industry
Supporting the seafood sector
Support for aquaculture
Over 350 payments totalling £3 million have now been made under the first of these schemes for the seafood fishing industry.
Applications opened for the seafood processing sector scheme on Monday 13 April.
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Government announces financial support for England's fishing businesses
£10 million fund for England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors announced.
More than 1,000 fishing and aquaculture businesses in England will receive direct cash grants through a fisheries support scheme announced today by Environment Secretary George Eustice and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay.
In the latest step to protect businesses affected by coronavirus, plans unveiled today mean that up to £9 million will be available for grants to eligible fishing and aquaculture businesses.
A further £1 million will be made available to support projects to assist fishermen to sell their catch in their local communities. This money will help fishing businesses find new ways to market and sell their catch while traditional markets are restricted, not only supporting the sector but also the local communities that depend on the industry.
Because the majority of fish they catch is usually destined for export, the English fishing fleet which catches fish stocks such as hake, scallops and crab, has been hit by the closure of traditional export markets and the reduction in demand from the hospitality sector.
The support scheme - which will run for up to three months – takes action to meet the immediate needs of the industry by helping English fishing and aquaculture businesses with their fixed costs such as such as insurance, equipment hire and port costs.
The measures will support English industry, in particular smaller fisherman, during this challenging time and follow an unprecedented package of financial support already announced for small businesses.
The main features of the scheme are:
For the catching sector, the fund will be open to under-24m vessel owners with fishing licences registered in England who recorded sales of £10,000 or more in 2019.
Grants will be made to help cover fixed business costs. For the catching sector this will be calculated from the average business costs for the size of the vessel, as surveyed by the industry annually.
Details of the eligibility criteria, including the criteria for the aquaculture sector and support for local projects, will be announced in due course by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
The MMO will administer the fund, contacting eligible registered owners and licence holders directly in stages with details of how to apply, starting on Monday April 20 through to early May.
Payments will be made for up to three months.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
This £10 million scheme will provide a lifeline for more than 1,000 fishing businesses so they can continue to maintain and operate their boats during this challenging time, which has seen falling prices and lack of deman for fish from the restaurant industry.
We are continuing to work closely with the fishing and aquaculture industry to ensure that they are supported and can get back to their vital role of providing fish for the table while contributing to the economy of many of our coastal communities.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay MP said:
Fishing is at the heart of many of England’s coastal communities – providing local jobs as well as valued produce to their communities and through exports around the world.
Given the loss of trade particularly to restaurants as a result of Covid-19, this support will help fishing businesses weather the current challenges they face, and facilitate new growth in retail markets through innovative local distribution."
Tom McCormack, Chief Executive of the Marine Management Organisation, said:
We’ve continued to stay closely engaged with the fishing industry and are very much aware of the difficulties many fishing businesses have been facing with the downturn in markets for fish and shellfish. We absolutely acknowledge the importance of our fishing industries and share concerns about these current impacts – it is our problem too.
The data we collect from the fishing industry has proved timely and incredibly valuable in helping to quickly evidence the current situation and to target where financial support is most needed.
We will be reviewing as we go, and will continue to engage with and listen to industry to ensure we’re supporting our fishing industry in the right ways.
The seafood and fisheries sectors are encouraged to apply for the existing support available for businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme.
The government has been working closely with the fishing industry to support the industry through this challenging period. Together with national fisheries authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the Government is also exploring methods to reduce the regulatory burden on the fishing fleet. These measures will be agreed jointly by the fisheries administrations and announced in due course.
