May 21, 2007

Macrae's opens US$20 million seafood processing facility in UK
 

Scottish seafood processor Macrae has opened a GBP 10 million seafood processing facility at Livingston.

The factory, which the company claims is the most technologically advanced in the UK, will produce chilled prepared seafood exclusively for the Waitrose chain.

Mike Parker, chairman of Macrae, said that seafood is among the fastest booming sectors of the food industry in the UK, growing at 10 percent a year.

This represents both an opportunity for the company to capitalise on, while managing development in a sustainable way, he added.

Parker added that Scotland is a vital market for Macrae and Young's, with almost US$100 million worth of investments having been poured into the area for the past three years, he noted.

Macrae was bought by the UK giant Young's in 2004.

Young's buys around US$160 million worth of Scottish seafood every year, and expects continued growth in the market.