Expected Outcomes power point presentation

Potential Impact

Improved competitiveness of SME proposers and economic justification
The new technologies developed in this project will be applicable in all European Atlantic blue mussel producing countries, and will make it possible to reduce the fluctuations in annual production, and sell high quality blue mussels year round. The latter will also lead to an increase in total demand for locally produced mussels, and enable farmers to compete with imports from outside Europe (mainly from Chilli and New Zealand). It is estimated by the consortium that the combined effect of production stability and year round production can lead to a 25-30 % increase in annual demand in the European Community alone.

European dimension
Individual SMEs involved in the project cannot be expected to cover all the aspects involved in developing a reliable year round blue mussel production. For the SMEs, each one with limited resources, the benefit of forming a consortium with partners from all over Europe will be significant. As a consortium they hold the expertise that only a large multinational company could afford to manage. 

Community societal benefits
Blue mussels are a traditional product in the European Community. The many hundreds of recipes for mussel found in the European Community prove the product is highly regarded and well accepted by consumers. In addition, mussels are healthy, tasty and produced in a sustainable way. Blue mussels are a “pure” biological product, with no need for fertilizers or high-energy feeds to enhance productivity during the grow-out phase, practices which are so typical with other types of aquatic or terrestrial meat production. Mussel meat contains only 1% fat, mostly (healthy) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s), 10% protein, and very few carbohydrates. Therefore, mussels can be regarded as the “light” product of the different types of meats and seafood available in the market.