Third of salmon farming staff under 30

A THIRD of the workforce in Scotland’s salmon farming sector are under the age of 30, according to a new report published today by the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO). The majority work in Highlands and Islands communities, employed on farms, and in engineering, veterinary, processing, sales and marketing, and HR roles, as well as…

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Scottish salmon exports down 20%

SCOTTISH salmon exports were down by 20.1 per cent in the first nine months of 2018, according to figures released by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) in December. While food and drink exports increased by 1.8 per cent to £16.4 billion from January to September 2018, when compared to the same period in 2017,…

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Edinburgh Salmon Co to close at year end

THE Edinburgh Salmon Company (also known as ESCo) has announced that it is to close its production centre at Dingwall in the Highland, with the loss of more than 250 jobs. The site had been experiencing heavy losses and the owners, Européenne de la Mer, a subsidiary of the global seafood giant Thai Union, warned…

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Marine Harvest pledges bright future for Scotland

MARINE Harvest, which surprised the salmon industry yesterday by announcing a name change, has pledged a bright future for Scotland. If approved by shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting in Bergen on December 4, a new brand name – Mowi – will replace Marine Harvest from the beginning of 2019, backed by an investment of…

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Scotland to host 2020 sea lice conference

THE biennial international sea lice conference is to be held in Scotland in 2020 following a vote by delegates at this year’s gathering in Punta Arenas, Chile. Scotland won 37 per cent of the votes, narrowly beating Cairns, Australia, which polled 36 per cent. The Faroe Islands’ bid came in third, with 27 per cent…

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Farmed and wild salmon sectors seek consensus

THE first meeting of the farmed and wild salmon interactions group, held yesterday in Edinburgh, got off to a good start, according to its chairman, John Goodlad. The group, established by Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing in May as part of the Strategic Framework for Farmed Fish Health, includes representatives from the farming and…

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Salmon processor set for £3.2m expansion

ONE of the largest processors of Scottish salmon has secured £3.2 million funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland to further expand into international markets. Lossie Seafoods, based in Buckie, and part of Associated Seafoods Ltd (ASL), has ambitious growth plans, creating 50 new jobs in the last year, with hopes of more to follow…

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Salmon star in BBC special

A LEADING salmon farmer said the industry in the future would need to ‘think a little bit differently’ if it wants to produce more fish. Interviewed for a special BBC Scotland documentary about the impact of farmed salmon on wild stocks, Steve Bracken, who worked at Marine Harvest for 41 years until his retirement in…

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Scottish salmon value tops £1bn

SCOTTISH farmed salmon was worth more than £1 billion to the economy for the first time last year, an increase of 37 per cent on 2016. The news came on top of government figures this morning revealing a 16.5 per cent rise in production in 2017, to almost 190,000 tonnes. Following the publication of the…

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Record year for Scottish salmon farms

SCOTTISH salmon farmers produced the highest ever volume of fish last year, with total production of 189,707 tonnes, an increase of 26,890 tonnes, or 16.5 per cent on 2016 figures. According to the Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2017, just published by the Scottish government, marine salmon production was undertaken by 12 businesses farming 226…

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