Scotland’s salmon farmers injected £500m into the economy in 2008. The Highlands and Islands continue to be the most significant beneficiaries. When additional downstream added-value processing is considered, the economic benefits are likely to be far greater.
A breakdown of the results is as follows:
• Expenditure on suppliers and services has continued to increase, reaching £304m in 2008
- £223m of this total was spent in Scotland (inclusive of £143m in the Highlands and Islands)
- Many rural businesses continue to be reliant on a successful, sustainable, profitable salmon sector
• Primary salmon production led to local wages payments of £36m in 2008. When applying standard economic multipliers, these payments translate to an injection of £165m into local, rural economies as money earned locally is spent locally
- The largest share of income is in Highland (£58m), Shetland (£37m), Argyll & Bute (£32m), Western Isles (£15m) and Orkney (£4.5m)
- 89% of the total is in the Highlands and Islands
• SSPO members have invested over £84m in capital projects over the last three years
- 96% has been in the Highlands and Islands
- Capital investment has risen year-on year from £19.5m in 2006 to £35m in 2008
• SSPO member companies employed a total of 1,579 people in 2008
- Scottish Government estimates that there are a further 4,700 downstream jobs
• 70% of all the salmon employees live within 10 miles of their place of work, 88% live within 20 miles
• The average number of years that employees stay with companies is 8 years
- This compares favourably with the UK average of 5.6 years
- In one remote, rural location the average length of employment was 23 years
• Exports in the industry have increased by over 500% in the last twenty years
