Public funding for fish farmers converting to organic aquaculture in Germany

Summary

Access to funding can substantially reduce financial barriers and thus be an incentive for conversion to organic farming.
Practical recommendations
• Contact the state fisheries authority (Landesfischereibehörde) or Managing Authority for European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for information on current funding calls.
• Develop a conversion and investment plan aligned with EU organic regulations and national program requirements. The eligibility & contacts are state-specific.
• Combine investment support with training/consultancy on the organic certification process
• Managing authority is often the state ministry/Landwirtschaftskammer/Landesamt. Contact them to find the correct measure and check whether your project fits the “investment in aquaculture” or “environmental improvement/organic conversion” lines.
• Many states operate rolling applications for certain investment measures; others use discrete funding calls with fixed deadlines. Use the linked state page to confirm the current call and the list of eligible costs.