BIM - Ireland's Seafood Development Agency

2. Content
• EMFAF OP
• NSPSA
• Grant Schemes

3. Linkages between
OP and NSPSA
NSPSA
• EU Strategic Guidelines on
Sustainable Aquaculture
European
Context
Green Deal
Farm to Fork
Biodiversity Strategy
Seafood OP
Common Fisheries
Policy

4. Seafood OP progress to date
Monitoring Committee debates
Initial Public Consultation undertaken
Bilateral discussions with key stakeholders
Desk Review of Policy
Environment Workshop on SWOT & investment
Needs Analyses
Initial Consultation with Commission
SEA and Appropriate assessment consultants engaged

5. Work Plan for coming months
Advance drafting of Programme in consultation with Commission.
Development of SEA and AA in concert with Programme development
Public Consultation on draft Programme and Environmental Report.
Finalise Programme and bring to Government.
Submission of Programme to Commission

6. Complete
Draft Plan and
Draft SEA and
NIS being
prepared
Q2 and Q3 2022
NSPSA
SeafoodOP
Underway
Draft OP and
Draft SEA and NIS
being prepared
Q2 and Q3 2022

7. • Article 34 of the Common Fisheries
Policy Regulation requires Member
States to prepare multi-annual
national strategic plans for
aquaculture.
• In 2014 BIM, on behalf of DAFM,
developed a NSPSA to align to the
EMFF funding period.
• An updated plan is now being
prepared to support the EMFAF
funding period (2021-2027).

8. Purpose of the NSPSA
• To ensure that the recently updated but non-binding
guidance for sustainable development of EU aquaculture is
mainstreamed into national aquaculture planning.
• To help inform the investment priorities for aquaculture in
Ireland’s EMFAF Operational Programme.
• To ensure that strategic planning for the aquaculture sector in
Ireland responds to the latest SWOT’s for Irish aquaculture in
order to promote the development of a sustainable and
forward looking sector.

9. NSPSA Framework
Objective Action area
O1 Building resilience and
competitiveness 1-1 Access to space and water
1-2 Regulatory and administrative framework
1-3 Animal health and public health
1-4 Climate-change adaptation and mitigation
1-5 Producer and market organisations
1-6 Control
1-7 Diversification and adding value
O2 Participating in the
green transition 2-1 Environmental performance
2-2 Animal welfare
O3 Ensuring social
acceptance and consumer
information 3-1 Communicating on EU aquaculture
3-2 Integration in local communities
3-3 Data and monitoring
O4 Increasing knowledge
and innovation 4-1 Increasing knowledge and innovation
4-2 Human Capacity Development & training

10. Grant Schemes
• At present there are no Aquaculture related grant schemes
open since SAS closed last year
• Between Operational Programmes (EMFF and EMFAF)
• On the direction of the Minister, DAFM/BIM have been
focusing on implementing the recommendations of the
Seafood Taskforce

11. Taskforce Recommendation -Aquaculture
“The Task Force recommends that both the BAR and EMFAF funding sources
should be utilised, as appropriate, to develop Irish aquaculture to mitigate
against the negative impacts of Brexit that have been most pronounced in
other sectors of the Irish seafood industry. It is recommended that graduated
grant aid rates should apply so that categories of activity that will be most
impactful would be incentivised with total grant aid support of €60 million
being made available for investment. This would stimulate the modernisation
of production sites in line with international best practice, increase resource
efficiency and reduce environmental impact, advance understanding of
market opportunities and innovation capability and develop technical,
marketing and management capability.”

12. Aquaculture BAR Scheme
• DAFM and BIM have been working on a scheme since the
taskforce concluded
• Follows recommendation from the taskforce report
• Scheme has been submitted by the Minister to the
Commission for state aid approval
• No indication on timeline