Scottish salmon production drops by 33,682 tonnes

SCOTTISH salmon production fell by 33,682 tonnes, or 17.8 per cent, last year to 156,025 tonnes, with the reduction attributed to fewer fish in the water. But the projected estimate for 2019 suggests an increase to 190,499 tonnes, according to the annual Scottish fish farm production survey, published today. Commenting on the figures, Julie Hesketh-Laird,…

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Scottish salmon exports soar by 25%

EXPORTS of Scottish farmed salmon for the first six months of this year are up 25 per cent in value on last year’s figures, to £319 million. And according to figures published today by HMRC, volume has also increased by 25 per cent, to 47,000 tonnes, compared to the same period in 2018. France was…

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Salmon producers say emergency inspections are in place

THE Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation say the country’s fish farms are already subject to emergency inspections. The demand has come in the form of a petition  from campaigners with the consumer group SumOfUs which it is delivering to Marine Scotland, which says there has been a surge in salmon deaths over the past few months.…

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Farmed fish only food sector free of medicine residues

AQUACULTURE is the only animal sector in the UK where no residues of medicines have been found in the end product for the whole of 2018 and 2019 to date. According to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), which publishes regular updates of veterinary residues in animals and animal products, farmed salmon and trout were free…

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Protect our exports, seafood sector urges Gove

REPRESENTATIVES of Scotland’s seafood sector have called on the UK government to do more to protect seafood exports to Europe in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Members from both the farmed and caught sectors met Environment Secretary Michael Gove in London today to discuss plans following Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, due to take…

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Industry pays tribute to Tavish as he bows out of politics

THE Scottish salmon industry has paid tribute to one of its staunchest champions, Tavish Scott, as he stands down from frontline politics. The former Liberal Democrat leader and MSP for the Shetlands was elected to the first parliament 20 years ago and has long celebrated the impact of aquaculture in his constituency and beyond. During…

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SSPO seeks new chair in ‘period of change’

THE Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation is recruiting for a new chairman to ‘help drive the SSPO agenda forward and to bring rigour and focus to the board’. The successful candidate will replace Gilpin Bradley, managing director of Wester Ross Fisheries, who stepped into the post two and a half years ago. The organisation, which currently…

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Read all about it! June Fish Farmer out now

SALMON boss Craig Anderson agreed to be interviewed for the latest issue of Fish Farmer, which is now available online. The CEO of the Scottish Salmon Company discusses plans for expansion on Arran, recent attacks on the sector, and why he would like to see less of a Norwegian influence on how fish farming is…

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Scottish salmon UK’s top food export again

SCOTTISH farmed salmon has reclaimed its spot as the UK’s largest food export, after sales to overseas buyers totalled £206.5 million in the first quarter of 2019. Volumes for Q1 were up 19.9 per cent, bringing increased sales of £59.9 million. Overall UK exports of food and drink for Q1 were valued at £5.8 billion,…

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£2bn value of Scottish salmon

SCOTLAND’S farmed salmon sector is worth nearly £2 billion to the country’s economy and it supports several thousand jobs, according to new figures released today. The industry’s turnover last year was £1,027 million, but every £100 made sustains £93 elsewhere through supply chains and high street spending from the wages paid to employees, according to…

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