Press release:
The Scottish Salmon Company and Nofitech partner on progressive RAS technology programme
The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) has signed a contract with recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology company Nofitech that will support the Company in transforming its approach to salmon farming. The agreement is part of a £49m investment to create a state of the art RAS unit at its Applecross site in Wester Ross.
RAS technology is an indoor land based aquaculture system which allows fish to be reared for longer in freshwater tanks before being moved to marine sites. Greater control of the freshwater rearing environment means that farmers can produce larger smolt (juvenile salmon) will reduce the marine production cycle which reduces the biological risk of rearing in the marine environment.
Ian Laister, Managing Director of The Scottish Salmon Company, said: “This contract marks the first important milestone in our commitment to incorporate RAS technology across all our freshwater production, which is fundamental to our growth strategy. Nofitech’s experience in this field will ensure that SSC is at the leading edge of RAS technology not only at Applecross but at future freshwater facilities.”
Robert Hundstad, CEO of Nofitech, said:” I am delighted that the Scottish Salmon Company has chosen us as a partner for their comprehensive, exciting and future-oriented RAS programme. Nofitech has, from a strategic perspective, chosen to work only with the most experienced and solid players in the industry and our cooperation with the Scottish Salmon Company and Bakkafrost falls well into this direction.
The programme at Applecross is part of a commitment by SSC’s parent company, Bakkafrost, to invest over £40 million a year in Scotland over the next 5 years, creating and retaining value in rural Scotland.
The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC), part of the Bakkafrost Group, is the leading producer of the finest quality Scottish Salmon with over 600 staff across 60 sites on the West Coast of Scotland and the Hebridean Islands with the Head Office in Edinburgh. The company is fully engaged in all stages of the value chain from smolt production through freshwater and marine farming to processing, as well as domestic and international sales and marketing activity, ensuring supply chain integrity and guaranteeing Scottish provenance.
The Scottish Salmon Company is the UK’s first salmon producer to be awarded a 4-star ‘Best Aquaculture Practice’ (BAP) certification. Internationally recognised, BAP is the world’s most comprehensive third-party aquaculture certification programme. SSC is committed to BAP’s four pillars of sustainability with traceabilty as the foundation.
