The regional government has approved a grant of almost EUR 6 million, which will enable the launch of ten investment projects worth approximately EUR 11.8 million.
Photo: Junta de Castilla y León.
The Junta de Castilla y León—the government of this inland Spanish region—has announced a EUR 6 million grant which, in the words of its Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development, María González Corral, will serve "to consolidate Castilla y León's leadership in inland aquaculture production nationally."
According to the regional government, the grant, which is part of the Strategic Plan for the Agri-Food Industry of Castilla y León 2024-2028 and financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEMPA) 2021-2027, will enable seven companies to undertake ten investment projects valued at around EUR 11.8 million.
González Corral made the announcement during a visit to the plant that the octopus processing company MerPacífico—one of the companies that will benefit from this grant—has in Palencia, the capital of the province of the same name in the region of Castilla y León.
The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development of Castilla y León—which stated that all companies that requested aid and met the requirements have been assisted—explained that the grant is divided into two different lines.
On the one hand, there is the fund for investment grants in aquaculture production, which has granted EUR 2.25 million to finance three projects for a total amount of EUR 3.76 million.
On the other hand, there is the line of grants for product marketing and processing, which has granted EUR 3.72 million to seven projects valued at just over EUR 8 million.
As mentioned above, the company MerPacífico, where the announcement was made by Minister González Corral, is one of the beneficiaries of this second line of grants to support, in its case, investment in technological improvements in octopus processing.
Built in 2023, MerPacífico has a 10,000 square meter processing facility located in Palencia's industrial park, where up to ten tons of fresh octopus and the same amount of cooked octopus can be produced per day, and up to three million kilos can be stored at a controlled temperature.
Located in north-central Spain and the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., without any access to the sea, according to the latest Economic Survey of Aquaculture by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPA), Castilla y León leads inland aquaculture production in Spain, with 27 farming establishments.
If the whole country is taken into account and marine aquaculture is therefore added, this inland Spanish region ranks as the fifth largest seafood producer in Spain.
Examples of these companies are the trout farmer Piszolla, a pioneer of humane slaughter in the country, and land-based shrimp producer Noray Seafood, a company seeking to revolutionize sustainable shrimp aquaculture.
Castilla y León is also Spain's leading region in aquaculture feed, bringing together companies that produce 97% of all aquafeed produced in Spain, supplying all aquaculture farms in the country and a part of Europe.
Precisely, the plants belonging to two of the big names in the feed industry with a presence in the region—Skretting in Cojóbar, Burgos, and BioMar in Dueñas, Palencia—achieved ASC Feed Certification last year.
As further evidence of the region's commitment to aquaculture, the statement from the Junta de Castilla y León also noted that, since 2011, the region has been home to the Aquaculture Research Center of the Castilla y León Agricultural Technology Institute (ITACyL), which forms part of its Specialized Technology Centers Network.
According to a statement from the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development of Castilla y León, ITACyL offers spaces with recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) equipped with mechanical and biological filters, and probes that continuously monitor water quality (oxygen, flow, and temperature).
These facilities are available to animal feed and health companies for conducting live studies on aquaculture species, testing raw materials and additives to improve fish performance, welfare, and quality, or developing animal health products for fish health.