Scottish Sea Farms is to receive £1.28 million to support its research and development into fish welfare and environmental protection.
The funds have come from Scottish Enterprise, a government body encouraging economic development and innovation and will assist Scottish Sea Farms in its latest R&D drive, worth a total of £18.3 million.
Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, Kate Forbes MSP, said: “Scotland has a thriving food and drink sector with salmon exports alone growing by 35 per cent during 2017.”
“Ensuring that the sector grows in a sustainable way remains a priority for us,” she added.
The R&D will help establish the conditions for optimum fish health at Scottish Sea Farms’ new recirculating aquaculture system hatchery at Barcaldine in Argyll, set to open in 2019. The government funds will also support the development of humane slaughter processes at the company’s facilities in Oban and Shetland and environmental projects such as the development of renewable energy source technology and minimising waste by recycling a greater proportion of by-products. The company is also focusing on capturing and analysing data in an effort to increase knowledge.
Commenting on the decision, Scottish Sea Farms’ managing director, Jim Gallagher, said: “The support from Scottish Enterprise means that we will be able to do more of this planned R&D even sooner, accelerating both the innovation and the anticipated benefits for fish health and for the environment.”
