Princess Anne has opened a multimillion-pound facility at one of Bakkafrost’s Scottish sites.
The state-of-the-art development, unveiled at the salmon giant’s Applecross site, has become the UK’s largest recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and will be central to the company’s aim of becoming the most sustainable Scottish salmon producer.
The Faroese company hailed it as a “game-changer”, saying it would allow salmon to spend longer growing in controlled, freshwater conditions before transferring to the sea as larger, stronger smolt.
It comes after animal welfare group Green Britain Foundation called on the Princess Royal to abandon the visit due to allegedly high fish mortality rates at Applecross.
“Applecross represents a significant long-term investment in the future of sustainable salmon farming in Scotland,” said Bakkafrost Scotland MD Ian Laister. “It reflects our determination to become the most sustainable Scottish salmon producer, it demonstrates how innovation, animal welfare, engineering, renewable energy, and skilled local employment can come together in modern food production.”
The RAS technology will provide precise control over water quality, temperature, and flow, enabling improved husbandry, enhanced smolt health screening and more effective vaccinations, according to Bakkafrost.
It will also use less water than traditional hatcheries, with the water continuously recirculated through filtration, oxygenation, disinfection and natural biofilter systems.
In a first for global aquaculture, the project included a multimillion-pound system converting waste to fertiliser. It uses pyrolysis technology to transform sludge removed from the RAS process into biochar.
The facility, which is powered by renewable energy, including on-site solar and hydro generation, will employ 40 workers across biological, veterinary, engineering, energy and technical operations.
The business also carried out improvements to local road infrastructure.
“We were honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and proud to showcase the people, technology, and community partnerships behind this facility,” Laister added.
No comments yet