Fish chief warns against despondency – Fishupdate.com

Fish chief warns against despondency Published:  15 January, 2009

A GRIMSBY fishing chief has warned against a mood of despondency after news that a key processor in the port is laying off a number of filleters and fish vehicle drivers.

Scotprime Seafoods (Grimsby) Ltd announced that around 19 people were likely to lose their jobs, blaming the move on uncertainty over supplies and the situation in Iceland. The Grimsby business is quite separate from a similar named Scottish company, Scotprime of Ayr.

But Steve Norton, chief executive of the Grimsby Fish Merchants Association, said this did not indicate that the fish trade was suffering the same severe problems as other industries. ” While it very sad that people are losing jobs, Scotprime must have good reasons for this. It is better that a company remains viable and active rather than have to close down .”

He added: “The Grimsby market enjoyed a bright opening at the start of January and prices remain firm.Some of our members tell us that trade is still quite good, while others are finding things a bit tougher. It depends what market your are selling into. Because Grimsby merchants settle up with their fish suppliers usually within three days, it is important in the current climate their customers also do not delay payments.

Just over a year ago Scotprime of Grimsby, which has many foodservice customers, announced a similar number of redundancies when it moved its catering operation to Manchester. The company is part of Colchester based Seafood Holdings Ltd , which trades as Direct Seafoods.

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