€500kfunding boostforseafood companySofrimar
THE local seafood industry has received a significant boost following the announcement of major Government funding for Sofrimar Seafood in Kilmore Quay.
A total of €562,035.91 has been allocated to Sofrimar, with €168,610.77 of that figure coming from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme (EMFF).
Announcing the investment, the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed said the grant was co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.
Minister Creed said, ‘In these very challenging times for business generally, and notably our seafood sector, I am delighted to support Sofrimar in building for the future. With our own economy and European and world markets reopening, we can have optimism again for future prosperity and growth.
‘Sofrimar is preparing to grow exports and value because it has the confidence to know that our seafood sector is a high growth sector and that it will resume its long-term growth pattern now that markets are getting over the recent temporary, albeit severe difficulties.’
He said the national strategy is to add value wherever possible to Ireland’s seafood products to ensure those products are ‘well placed’ in the market.
Ireland’s EMFF Operational Programme 20142020 was adopted by the European Commission in December 2015 and launched in January 2016 by the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine.
The Programme provides €240m in funding to the seafood sector over the period 2014 to 2020
Boats moored up at Kilmore Quay in April 2020.
and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.
Based in Kilmore Quay, Sofrimar was founded in 1979. It was named Seafood Exporter of the Year by the Irish Exporters Association in 2007 and 2011.
THE family owners of Griffin Hotel Group, which includes the Ferrycarrig Hotel in Wexford, as well as Monart Destination Spa just outside of Enniscorthy, are working towards reopening each of their properties in planned stages this summer.
Owners and operators Liam Anthony and Michael Griffin have been working with their senior teams to implement safe Covid-19 operational protocols and to adopt new technology and work practices in order to deliver contactless services, while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
In terms of hygiene practices, the company has been working to enhance its disinfection technology and provide ‘ longer anti-microbial protection’.
CEO Michael Griffin said that, from late March, the company started to look at how it could ‘prevent the unintentional transmission of Covid’ within its workplaces for the health of both team members and customers.
‘Since then we have researched international best practice for our industry and have been building a model of appropriate and valid measures to meet this challenge,’ he said.
The first properties in the group to re-open will be the Ferrycarrig Hotel and Hotel Kilkenny, which will both reopen to guests on 3 July. Monart Destination Spa will reopen one month later on 3 August.
Each hotel will operate with reduced occupancy to facilitate current social distancing guidelines. According to the owners, the properties will feature clear guidelines on services available to guests with appropriate social distancing measures. There will also be public hand sanitisation, with staff wearing appropriate PPE.
‘We are very fortunate that our hotel properties have ample space both inside and outside. Our restaurants can offer indoor and outdoor dining, weather permitting,’ said Liam Anthony Griffin.
The group has also invested in new technologies to assist with service delivery and sanitisation. Projects currently in development include the use of mobile phone check-in/ check-out and enabling people to use their smart device to both order and pay for their meal from their table.
‘ Technology development can often run longer than expected,’ said Michael Griffin. ‘We are working with third-party suppliers on these technical solutions. However, in the meantime, we have provided safe solutions for everyone to use, but we are keen to see these morph through technology to be more environmentally sustainable.’
Employee-wise, the company is working to ensure that all employees are appropriately trained on Covid-19 protocols, are provided with appropriate PPE and training and have access to mental health support.
Mr Griffin said the group also welcomes the recent Irish Hotel Federation guidelines for the Irish hospitality sector.
He said these guidelines will ‘ help all within our industry to deliver safe services to guests during the new Covid normal’.