United Fish Industries Killybegs (UFI) recently announced that Donegal County Council has granted planning permission for the construction of a new €50m fishmeal and fish oil manufacturing facility at the Fishery Harbour Centre, Killybegs, Co. Donegal.
Commenting on the announcement, UFI Managing Director, John Healy, said, “This positive decision by Donegal County Council is most welcome and further reinforces UFI's commitment to Killybegs. In 2004 we identified the newly completed Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre as the most suitable site for a new factory. Our objective will be to construct a facility to the highest design and environmental standards which will provide much needed additional industrial fish landing capacity thereby safeguarding the future of the fishing industry in Killybegs”.
The new plant will be of a scale similar to the development of Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre but during construction will be more labour intensive due to the complex nature of the plant installation. The workforce is expected to average over 70 during construction, which will take two years.
UFI has said that it will be using the local workforce and suppliers, giving local tradesmen and companies a boost.
The company has also said that it will operate to the highest environmental standards set out in the Environmental Impact Statement which accompanied the planning application.
The logistical advantages of the Fisheries Harbour Centre, combined with the quality, scale and efficiency benefits of the new facility, will make UFI highly competitive in attracting additional landings of blue whiting, including catches made by foreign vessels within convenient steaming time of the Irish coast. It will also ensure continued supplies of organic fishmeal from UFI to the fish farming industry in Ireland.
UFI is a subsidiary of Origin Enterprises and has been operating in Killybegs for over 50 years as a support service to the fishing industry. UFI employs 150 people in its operations in Killybegs, Aberdeen, the Shetland Islands and Grimsby. The substantial investment in the new state of the art facility is seen as a major commitment to the future of the business in Killybegs. It will replace the original processing plant which was built in 1957 and employs 50 people.
Origin is a new company within IAWS Group plc that has been formed to incorporate the original agricultural and fishery supply businesses of IAWS into a single business entity.
In conclusion Mr Healy said, “2007 is a milestone year as it marks 40 years of IAWS in Killybegs and we are delighted to be able to celebrate this event with the news of this investment. The new development will underpin employment in the fishmeal facility and beyond well into the future and will help boost confidence in County Donegal as an investment opportunity area”.
