email editor
Only sixty percent of applicants qualified for the Temporary Voluntary Tie-Up Scheme
The temporary voluntary tie-up scheme which was introduced for the Irish fishing fleet at the start of June has now entered its third month with only 60% of the applicants qualifying.
The Scheme which was announced by the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD at the beginning of May has been set to operate over the months of June, July and August.
It was designed to assist in adjusting the supply of fish coming onto a market depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect quota availability for later in the year.
The Scheme is implemented under Ireland’s European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme 2014-20, and was meant to be co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Commission.
The Scheme started on 01 June 2020 and it was designed so eligible vessels would be supported to voluntarily opt to tie up for one or two months, during June, July & August. The two-month period does not necessarily have to be for consecutive months. For instance, the tie-up period could be June and August.
Many in the inshore sector have been complaining that fishing vessels under-10 metres are being refused access to the Temporary Voluntary Tie-Up Scheme due to an oversight by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority in enforcing the registration of Sales Notes.
Since the Scheme started in June a total of 211 applications have been received by an Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) who is appointed as administrators of the scheme. A total of 104 applications were received for the Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme for the month of June with a further 107 applications received in July.
Out of the 104 applications received in June 67 applicants were approved under the scheme to tie-up and 61 applicants out of 107 were approved in July. The overall total to qualify for the scheme up until the end of July is 128 fishing vessels.
Scheme Breakdown by Vessel Category Awarded (June)
| Size of vessel | June Awarded | ||||
| <6m | 11 | ||||
| 6 < 8m | 10 | ||||
| 8 < 10m | 20 | ||||
| 10 < 12m | 11 | ||||
| 12 < 15m | 7 | ||||
| 15 < 18m | 0 | ||||
| 18 < 24m | 6 | ||||
| > 24m | 2 | ||||
| Total | 67 | ||||
Scheme Breakdown by Vessel Category Awarded (July)
| Size of vessel | July Awarded |
| <6m | 10 |
| 6 < 8m | 17 |
| 8 < 10m | 16 |
| 10 < 12m | 3 |
| 12 < 15m | 4 |
| 15 < 18m | 1 |
| 18 < 24m | 7 |
| > 24m | 3 |
| Total | 61 |
BIM has confirmed that insufficient sales notes were the main reason for closing out applications with 12 applications being rejected in June and 16 denied in July on the basis of insufficient sales notes.
