The fishing and aquaculture processing sector generates some 26,000 direct jobs in Spain and represents 5.5% of the Spanish food industry.
Photo: Juan Carlos Muñoz / Adobe Stock.
Spain will implement an aid line of EUR 40 million (USD 42 million) for the modernization of the fishing and aquaculture processing sector. The European Commission communicated this week that its implementation is compatible with the internal market of the European Union (EU), thus endorsing the inclusion of this sector in receiving aid from the NextGenerationEU funds allocated by the EU to repair the damage caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
As said above, the fishing and aquaculture processing sector had been excluded from EU recovery plans. However, given the great importance of this sector in the country, its inclusion in these plans was essential for the Spanish Government.
With an estimated 305,404 tons worth EUR 1,744 million (USD 1,869 million) in 2021, Spain is the leading producer of canned fish and seafood in the European Union and the second largest in the world. These products were sold to 145 countries, with a turnover of more than EUR 1,200 million (USD 1,286 million). The fishing and aquaculture processing sector generates some 26,000 direct jobs in Spain and represents 5.5% of the Spanish food industry.
The request to the EU for the Spanish seafood processing sector to be included in the NextGenerationEU funds was made jointly by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), which will be the competent authority in the development of the call for proposals and the management of the aid.
The heads of both ministries expressed their satisfaction with the European Commission's decision to authorize the line of aid, which will favor the transformation, sustainability, and modernization of production processes in the seafood processing industry.
"Our canning sector, a fundamental part of our agri-food sector, deserves this European support," said the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, welcoming the European Commission's positive response.
For his part, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, claimed the funds will serve to continue with the transformation of the Spanish industry. "We are starting to work so that the aids are called as soon as possible and arrive as soon as possible in the seafood sector," he said.
The funds of EUR 40 million in aid will be used to boost the green transformation of the fishing and aquaculture processing sector in Spain, promoting the modernization of the sector with the aim of increasing the added value of the products, thus making it more resilient to current and future challenges.
The aid is open to Spanish companies - this is legally established and registered in the country - of all sizes operating in the seafood processing sector, which may receive a total amount not exceeding EUR 2.5 million (USD 2.6 million) per company per year.
To be eligible, projects must be intended to finance measures aimed at achieving the following objectives:
Contribute to saving energy or reducing the environmental impact, including waste treatment.
Improve safety, hygiene, health, and working conditions.
Support the processing of commercial fish catches that cannot be used for human consumption.
Transform by-products resulting from the main processing activities.
Transform organic aquaculture products into organic food or feed.
Give rise to new or improved products, processes, or management and organizational systems.