With EFF shut down at the end of 2015, its place has been taken by the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which was announced last week at a meeting at Poole in the south of England.
According to UK fisheries minister George Eustice, £200 million (€243 million) has been secured for the UK for the next five years, of which £110 million is to be made available as direct industry support for businesses and individuals.
‘This has the potential to improve livelihoods, increase resilience and transform those communities who are reliant on the fisheries, processing and aquaculture sectors. Opportunities will be provided right across the production chain, from the catching and aquaculture sectors, through to influencing consumers and what ends up on our plates.’ he said, commenting that some key measures have already been opened for applications.
‘These are focused on areas where we know the industry will benefit from support right away and across the whole of the UK,’ he said, listing these measures as those that will support businesses adapt to the reformed CFP, support for technical innovation projects, measures that improve scientific knowledge, training, and safety, and those measures that support sustainable aquaculture.
‘Measures will be targeted throughout the UK by the Intermediate Bodies in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This means that funding will be focused in areas which have the potential to have the greatest impact to support local requirements, rather than assuming that one size fits all. Tailoring the measures gives each part of the UK the potential to get the most out of their allocated funding.’
MMO Chairman Bill Callaghan said that lessons have been learned from the experience of EFF and a smart online application system for EMFF has been created which has the capacity to tailor itself to the application during the process.
‘Instead of having to go through a great deal of sections and guidance not necessarily relevant to everyone – now, as the applicant provides more and more information the application form cuts its self-down and presents the relevant options to the applicant,’ he said.
‘I also very much like the fact that as a customer completes their EMFF application online, EMFF colleagues can actually see the application real time and provide assistance to that applicant as they need it over the telephone.
We have also spent a lot of time and effort trying to make information about the scheme more accessible – this includes totally reshaping the way we present information on our website and including clear guidance to help people understand what can be funded.’
‘The approach we have taken is to ensure that whether a customer had a query by telephone, email, letter or in person – they would have access to the same expert advice.’
