From the sea to the door: New grant scheme to support seafood businesses in England to sell catches

  • New £1 million grant scheme opened today to increase supply of local seafood
  • Seafood businesses can bid for funds for assets and infrastructure to sell seafood
  • Part of a £10 million fund for England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors

The government has today opened for applications a new Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme, which will fund projects that will help seafood businesses in England increase the supply of local seafood to domestic markets.

The £1 million scheme, first announced by Defra and HM Treasury on 17 April, is part of a £10 million fund for England’s fishing and aquaculture sectors that have been adversely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As well as this financial support, qualifying seafood businesses may also qualify for other Government support. MMO has produced a guide to what is available.

This scheme will help seafood businesses adapt to changes in their markets caused by COVID-19 by helping fund changes to businesses and/or infrastructure that will help them to sell their products domestically, and support projects that increase domestic consumption of seafood landed or processed in England.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will accept applications for projects that support domestic sales of locally-caught fish and shellfish from Wednesday 29 April to Monday 11 May.

Projects will be assessed by a panel including industry representatives. Successful applications will be announced from Friday 15 May.

The scheme will fund measures that assist the industry to set up local and regional distribution such as plant and equipment to help with local fish processing, or assets that can be shared at port such as storage and refrigerated vans.

Fisheries Minister, Victoria Prentis said:

This new grant scheme, part of a £10 million lifeline for our fisheries sector, will help our fishing industry find new markets for their catch during this challenging time which has seen falling prices and a downturn in restaurant and export sales.

With growing demand for meals at home we are also looking for innovative ways to help fishermen adapt and be equipped to sell direct to local consumers.

Applications are invited from groups of businesses in the fishing, aquaculture and fish processing industries or individual businesses engaged in activities which support the seafood supply chain.

Projects are invited that:

  • Maintain the availability of fisheries products through innovative regional distribution.
  • Support the development of infrastructure to sell fish landed into English ports, or fish processed in England, to domestic consumers.
  • Help develop the infrastructure necessary for the catching and processing sectors to connect directly with consumers (e.g. either through online platforms or through facilitation on the ground).
  • Have the potential to generate longer-term sustainable benefit to the seafood industry, creating supply chain resilience

To support fisheries, the MMO has expanded its grants team and increased its opening hours to administer the Fisheries Response Fund (FRF) which was announced at the same time as the Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme. In the first week, the MMO team has made FRF payments of over £2 million to over 500 fishing vessel owners so far.

Tom McCormack, Chief Executive Officer of the MMO said:

Our MMO team is highly experienced in supporting the fisheries industry and has mobilised to design and deliver the new FRF and now the Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme in the fastest possible time. With the support of the fishing industry we have set up a panel who will make the decisions to ensure that our industry gets the funds needed to be able to make the greatest difference in developing the domestic market.

To apply for the Domestic Seafood Supply Scheme visit www.gov.uk/mmo.

Development is also underway to provide other support for the aquaculture sector under the Fisheries Response Fund (FRF). An announcement is planned soon.



ESFA Update: 29 April 2020

  • Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
  • If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
  • Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.



Recovered appeal: Burgess Business Park, Parkhouse Street, London SE5 7TJ (ref: 3225548 – 29 April 2020)

  • Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
  • If you go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
  • Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even friends or family.

You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.



Inspection report published: Annual inspection of ‘Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention’ (2018–19)

News story

Following on from Stephen Shaw’s reviews of the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons in 2016 and 2018, the then Home Secretary commissioned the Chief Inspector to report on “whether and how the Adults at Risk policy is making a difference”.

Adult at risk silhouette

Publishing the report, David Bolt said:

Having waited many months for the Home Office’s response to my first annual review of the operation of the ‘Adults at Risk in Detention’ policy, I am sure that, like me, immigration detainees and those who fear they may in future be detained, along with the large body of interested stakeholders, will be disappointed with what the Home Office appears willing or feels able to do to improve how this is working.

Although challenging, in light of my findings I did not regard my recommendations as especially radical or contentious, and some people will no doubt feel that they did not go far enough. However, I was hoping that the Home Office could move at pace and implement the recommendations relating specifically to the Adults at Risk process by 31 March 2020. The proposed timescales for those improvements the Home Office now says it is making are therefore also disappointing.

Shortly, my inspectors will begin the second annual review of how the Adults at Risk policy is working. It will be an opportunity to explore the Home Office’s responses in more detail and to identify specific areas where improvements are both necessary and achievable. I would expect the next inspection to examine whether the Home Office’s understanding of vulnerability has changed as a result of the present pandemic, the actions taken to reduce the immediate risks to immigration detainees, and what this means for the application of the Adults at Risk policy in the longer-term. However, as always, I will be inviting views from stakeholders and talking to the Home Office before deciding on the precise scope and focus of the inspection.

Published 29 April 2020



Home Secretary announces visa extensions for frontline health and care workers

Free visa extensions will be automatically granted to more crucial overseas health and care workers, the Home Secretary has announced today.

Frontline workers, including midwives, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists, with visas due to expire before 1 October 2020 will receive an automatic one-year extension. It will apply to those working both in the NHS and independent sector and include their family members.

This builds on the Home Secretary’s announcement last month for NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics. All will be exempt for the Immigration Health Surcharge for the duration of the exemption.

In total approximately 3,000 vital health and care workers and their families will benefit from the extension.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

We are incredibly grateful to all overseas health and care workers fighting this invisible enemy.

We have already announced the extension of visas for NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics. Now we are going further by extending this offer to hundreds of other frontline health and care workers, both in the NHS and in the independent sector.

These extensions will be automatic, free and include exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said:

Frontline health and social care workers from overseas are doing extraordinary work in responding to this global outbreak.

Around 3,000 vital health and care workers and their families will benefit from the extension, and we are hugely grateful to them for protecting the vulnerable and saving lives.

Those benefiting are providing essential services in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is important we relieve the pressure from the whole of the NHS, so it can focus maximum effort on fighting the coronavirus and saving lives.

The extension comes into effect immediately and is for all visas expiring between 31 March and 1 October 2020. Those benefitting from this extension will be identified by health and care employers across the UK. Any NHS workers who have paid for an unresolved application will be offered the option of a refund.

The Home Secretary has also confirmed family members and dependants of healthcare workers who sadly pass away as result of contracting the virus will be offered immediate indefinite leave to remain.

The Home Office will work with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS Trusts to put these arrangements in place.