The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group has underlined to Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham MSP the importance of the farmed shellfish sector to the Scottish economy during a visit to its processing facility in Bellshill last week.
Ms Cunningham was visiting Scottish Shellfish to see the benefits brought by a recent major upgrade at the company’s processing site, which included new processing machinery and the creation of a new chill room. The £110,000 investment was supported by a grant from the European Fisheries Fund.
The Minister also heard about an ambitious scheme currently underway that will ensure mussels from Scottish Shellfish become the first rope-grown mussels in the world to achieve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as a sustainable and well managed resource.
This is the first time that a cultivated seafood product has begun the MSC pre-assessment process. Scottish Shellfish has also entered its mussel farms on the west coast and Shetland for the prestigious Friends of the Sea (FoS) certification.
Roseanna Cunningham said: “The shellfish industry is a precious economic commodity. We are committed to helping the sector develop further and as part of our new aquaculture strategy have established a dedicated group on shellfish. I am always encouraged to hear of new advances in the industry."
