December 21, 2023

Approval given for future Mowi salmon farm on west coast of Scotland, UK

Mowi Scotland has received council approval for a proposed salmon farm on the west coast of Scotland, the United Kingdom.

The farm will, according to the company, create 10 permanent jobs and bolster investment in the local community near Kintyre's Kilbrannan Sound. It will include twelve 120-meter compact circular cages, as well as a 400-metric-tonne feed barge, and hold a maximum 2,475 metric tonnes of Atlantic salmon.

Mowi Scotland director of communications Ian Roberts told SeafoodSource that the company aims to build and stock the farm by late spring 2024, with its first salmon expected to be available in the market by 2025.

"This new site complements nearby farming operations, and the added economic activity will help facilitate substantial investment and upgrades to Carradale Harbor for both commercial use and the benefit of the community," Roberts said. Those upgrades include the construction of a purpose-built shore base, storage facilities and a new pontoon.

The unanimous approval the farm received from the Argyll and Bute Council – one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland – followed five years of work by Mowi Scotland, in collaboration with teams of marine biologists, oceanographers and data analysts, responding to local concerns and outlining the plan's economic and sustainability benefits.

The council also highlighted Mowi's recent recognition as the world's leading sustainable protein producer for the fifth year in a row by the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index as a major reason why the farm received unanimous approval.

- SeafoodSource