Good Fish among 44 projects to share in €26.8 million Brexit Processing Capital Support Scheme

Donagh and Denis Good, Good Fish Processing

Good Fish Processing in Cork will lead the way in research, development and sustainability at its new €8.9 million processing facility which has received funding from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.

The bespoke green facility at Shanbally in Cork Harbour is one of 44 projects to secure €26.8 million investment from the Seafood Processing Capital Support Scheme administered through BIM. The scheme, which will deliver up to €45 million in funding to the seafood processing sector, is funded by the European Union under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR).

The family business, which employs more than 100 people in Cork, also plans to create more local jobs and upskill their workforce.

“The grant aid received through the Seafood Processing Capital Support Scheme means we can progress what otherwise would have taken six years in just 12 to 18 months. It also allows us to explore cutting edge equipment and increase investment in sustainable initiatives,” said Donagh Good, Managing Director.

The Seafood Capital Processing Scheme is funded by the European Union under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR). BIM administers the scheme on behalf of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, which provides for up to €45 million in funding to the seafood processing sector.

The new Good Fish facility, which is set to open in 2024, will be strategically located next to Cork Container Terminal to facilitate immediate export. It will also provide quick access to the M28 and Ireland’s motorway network. The project will deliver additional capacity for the company, increasing its current operating floor space three-fold.

The new building will have a specific focus on energy efficiency measures, while continuing to deliver on sustainability requirements as a Bord Bia Origin Green and Fishery Improvements Project member. It will include a dedicated research and development area, with the latest state-of-the-art technology installed as part of the upgrade. The additional space will also allow the company to use larger-scale and more effective production machinery.

“Our new facility will be a leading development of its kind and will allow us to use the very latest in sustainable technologies to produce the highest-quality Irish seafood for our clients, here at home and overseas,” said Donagh Good.

“This investment is the result of key strategic decisions we made to ensure we are leading the way in terms of research, development, and creating a sustainable way forward for our business within the industry.

“We are very much looking forward to the busy times ahead both for the Good Fish family and the local Shanbally area through the increase of direct and indirect employment.”

An increasing demand for high-quality frozen seafood products in Europe and further afield means the company will immediately be able to leverage the benefits of its newly fitted value added technology and packaging capacity to deliver cost effective, premium seafood products to retail customers in Ireland and worldwide. The company also secured additional funding for a breading line which will provide additional capacity to meeting existing and future business demands.

Good Fish Processing supplies major Irish and European retailers and food service operators with the business placing a key focus on using respected seafood sources and sustainable practices.

Founded by Denis Good in 1988 and now celebrating its 35th year, the company currently operates out of two processing facilities in Carrigaline and has four other retail locations across the county in Douglas, Kinsale, Carrigaline and Ballincollig.