Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is disappointed that the jobs cut at Marine Harvest is going ahead but is relieved by the fact that the numbers lost are fewer than initially flagged by the company.

He said, “I understand that Lochaber and Mallaig will lose 44 and 12 respectively, and that Skye and Lochalsh will lose 11.

He went on, “I will ask the Scottish Government again to provide maximum assistance to help these folk back into work and to support the local area in the interim.

He finished with, “ I will also urge Highland Council and the Scottish Government to expedite the processing of the planning application for Marine Harvest’s proposed feed plant on the west coast which seem likely to reverse these cuts when it is up and running.

Notes:

NEWS RELEASE

80 job losses confirmed in restructuring at Marine Harvest

Marine Harvest Scotland has confirmed that 80 jobs will go in the company, after completing formal consultations with staff.

The final numbers are split across departments and regions.

The job losses, which are part of a restructuring plan announced in January, follow a recent review of the business. The news was given at a meeting with staff representatives who were told the company was making changes to its operations in order to make the business more efficient and sustainable.

Ben Hadfield, Managing Director of Marine Harvest Scotland and global Feed Director explained: “We are sorry to be losing some highly qualified and skilled people, but we have to restructure the business to make it more efficient and sustainable. By taking this action now we can be more certain of maintaining jobs in the future.

The geographical split of the job losses is: Lochaber 44, Skye & Lochalsh 11, Argyll 2, Mallaig 12, Lewis 3, South Uist 2, Wester Ross 4 and Rosyth 2.

Earlier in the year, the company issued a 30 day notice and entered a formal period of consultation with staff representatives about which posts would be affected.

Since then, the company has been in discussions with local agencies and politicians and is doing everything it can to assist staff gain new employment.

Marine Harvest operates four hatcheries, five freshwater loch sites and 48 sea farms. Their farm operations are situated across the Highlands, Argyll and the Western Isles. Live fish are harvested at Mallaig and processed at the Blar Mhor processing plant in Fort William. The company has offices at Fort William and Rosyth.

The processing plant at Rosyth is not affected by any job losses as it is part of the Marine Harvest Consumer Products division and not Marine Harvest Scotland.

Plans to create a feed plant in Scotland continue as part of the restructuring of the business. An announcement on a preferred site is likely within the next month. The creation of a feed plant is part of the restructuring aimed at making the company more efficient and sustainable.

The redundancies will not have an effect on forecasted volumes for 2016.

Notes to Editors

·         Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd is the largest salmon farming company in Scotland, producing more than 50,000 tonnes in 2015.

·         Marine Harvest was the first company in Scotland to farm Atlantic salmon and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

·         The company has four hatcheries, five freshwater loch sites and 48 sea farms, situated in the Western Isles, Skye, Argyll, Wester Ross, Inverness-shire and Lochaber. Live fish are harvested at Mallaig and processed at the Blar Mhor processing plant in Fort William. There are offices at Fort William and Rosyth.

·         In 2014, a new Marine Harvest salmon processing plant at Rosyth opened, producing a range of value added salmon products for the consumer market.

·         Marine Harvest holds the Royal Warrant for the supply of fresh farmed salmon to Her Majesty the Queen.

·         The company has held the prestigious Label Rouge quality accreditation in France since 1992.

·         The main markets for Marine Harvest fresh salmon are the UK, France, USA, Poland and China.

·         All Marine Harvest Farms, their harvest station and processing plant are audited and approved under the RSPCA Assured animal welfare scheme.

·          In 2015, Marine Harvest’s Loch Leven salmon farm became the first in the UK to be accredited by the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council).