Bergen, Norway-headquartered Marine Harvest, the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon, has announced plans to invest £80 million in a fish feed plant in Scotland. While its location has yet to be determined, construction of the 170,000-ton capacity facility is expected to begin in 2017.
“Third party European feed purchases remain significant within Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Islands as salmon farming centers where we today are 100% supplied by external feed companies,” stated the company in a press release. “A second feed factory is therefore in line with the strategy of being a fully integrated protein company.”
Marine Harvest’s first fish feed plant, which went into production in Bjugn, Norway in 2014, today covers approximately 80% of its requirements in that country, which accounts for more than half of its global output of salmon. The new factory will be positioned to deliver feed to operations in Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Islands, but this may change or develop over time. In addition, the range of feed types will be broadened to include starter feed for freshwater fish and organic feed for Irish operations.
The investment is subject to acquiring land, obtaining relevant permission and consent from authorities. If all goes according to plan, the factory should be up and running during the first half of 2018. All existing external feed supply contracts in Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Island will expire at that time.
