Blue crab, the government signs aid for fishermen

The government decides to help "farmers of the sea" and signs two decrees which provide aid to fishermen damaged by the scourge of the blue crab:two-year postponement for corporate mortgage installments and contributions

ROME – “This morning I signed the two decrees which for the first time in this nation will allow fishermen, who we have always considered the farmers of the sea, to be put on the same level as the farmers themselves in terms of the possibility of receiving refreshments".This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, on the sidelines of a press conference at Masaf, regarding the blue crab emergency.

The decrees, explained the minister, “will allow us to intervene for help, based on the modification we made to law 102, entrepreneurs who have been hit by that real calamity that is the blue crab.This is an emergency that has put them in a position of suffering, but with these decrees they will have an automatic 24-month deferral of mortgage payments for their businesses and the possibility of reduction of contributions for the workers, therefore the solidarity fund will intervene to support them".
This, added Lollobrigida, “alongside another series of interventions that we had done to begin to repair the damage caused by a fluctuation in the abundance of a crab that had been present for some time, but which no one had studied enough and which still today has no real way to reduce its presence".

READ ALSO: VIDEO | Blue crab, the fishermen's tale:“We find empty clam shells, we are invaded”
READ ALSO: 2.9 million from the government for blue crab fishermen, Legacoop:“Doing more is a national emergency”
READ ALSO: The blue crab arrives on the plates of parliamentarians

ZAIA:“I THANK THE GOVERNMENT AND LOLLOBRIGIDA”

“I thank the Government and Minister Lollobrigida who today signed the decrees which declare the exceptional nature of the spread of the blue crab which is devastating shellfish and clam fishing activities on the Veneto coast.Also very positive is the decision, supported by Prime Minister Meloni, to extend the application of the National Solidarity Fund provided for by Legislative Decree 102/2004, previously used only for the agricultural sector, to fishing and aquaculture".This is what the president of Veneto, Luca Zaia, states, recalling that "for more than a year this alien species has been destroying our seabed and an entire economy, particularly important for the workers of Polesine and the lagoons.I myself have heard and met several times fishermen who were devastated and afraid for their future and I had resolved to ask for the declaration of a state of disaster, which is very appropriate at a time when literally nothing is fished on those seabeds anymore.The decision to activate the mortgage moratorium for 24 months is also very good."The situation "remains serious - concludes Zaia - we look to the future aware that a strong commitment from the institutions will be needed to support the entire sector".

UNDER SECRETARY DERAMO:“CREATE A BLUE CRAB CONSUMPTION CHAIN”

Funds have been provided (and more may be provided), but to stem the damage caused by the Blue Crab we must insist on 'transforming' it, encourage its consumption and and put it 'income'.From scourge to “opportunity”.With the inclusion of the blue crab "in the list of names of fish species of commercial interest, the valorization of the product has begun which will then have to be developed through a commercial strategy aimed at the realization of a real consumption chain“, explains the undersecretary for agriculture Luigi D'Eramo.Among the many anti-crab strategies, "there is a plan to undertake, under the EAFAMP 2021-2027 (European Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund), actions for the financing of projects studying the biology of the species, aimed not only at contrasting the crustacean, but also at creation of a blue crab supply chain for its food use (supplements and feed for aquaculture) and for marketing and promotion towards the consumer.

Within priority 2 of the Feampa 2021-2027 we intend to promote the processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, contributing to food security in the European Union", explains the undersecretary.Feampa “supports the marketing of fishery and aquaculture products by helping to create producer organizations and implement their production and marketing plans;create new market outlets;promote traceability and consumer information;add value to products;as well as disseminate market information throughout the supply chain."

The processing industry (sector plants and establishments) "plays an important role in guaranteeing the quality and availability of fishery and aquaculture products and targeted FEAmpa investments can be allocated to it aimed at achieving the objectives of the Joint Organization of the markets (OCM)”, specifies D'Eramo responding to Mauro Malaguti and Gianluca Vinci, Fdi deputies, who reported to the Chamber the cry for help of the clam fishermen damaged by the blue crab.And the ministry "will continue to evaluate the possibility of adopting further initiatives and measures in favor of operators in the fishing and aquaculture sector, to mitigate the economic repercussions of the phenomenon also starting a joint and coordinated process of actions aimed at solving the problem", assures the undersecretary.And we are "already working to implement the provisions of the important legislative innovations and to recognize further compensatory interventions for the sector, thus allowing companies to access subsidized financing and obtain concrete help“, says D’Eramo after listing all the measures implemented from August to today.
But precisely the line is to turn the drama into a 'resource':“I believe that the actions implemented by the Government can transform an emergency into an opportunity, as the blue crab can be a great resource both for its nutritional properties, in particular the strong presence of vitamin B12, both for the potential outlet markets, including international ones, that can be reached", concludes d'Eramo in the written response to yesterday's Chamber documents seen by 'Dire'.