Update from the processing sector

Scottish Government pledges cash for seafood sector

The Scottish Government has promised £1.8m to help seafood businesses sell to markets in the UK and overseas

Above: (From left) James Robertson, Mairi Gougeon, Kevin McDonell, Donna Fordyce, Simon Robertson and Michael Robertson THE initiative is intended to help the sector recover from the twin impacts of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. It was announced by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon on a visit to processors Joseph Robertson in Aberdeen last month. The funding, managed by trade marketing body Seafood Scotland, will support businesses to access new markets within the UK and abroad, including campaigns in Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. The work will also include developing a strategy to encourage sustainability and improve quality assurance and accreditation of seafood produce.

Seafood Scotland hopes that, as major international trade events begin again, together with a number of virtual online events, these platforms will enable it to engage with buyers to experience first-hand the broad range of seafood available.

In Scotland, “buy local, support local” campaigns will also encourage growth in the domestic market, capitalising on rising demand for seafood provenance and quality.

Seafood Scotland will form close links with leading chefs, working alongside

“The last 16 months have been devastating for businesses”

them to make Scottish seafood a prized, premium item on menus across the globe.

Mairi Gougeon said: “The last 16 months have been devastating for businesses in the seafood sector who have faced significant losses due to hospitality closures from Covid-19 and a raft of new trade barriers and bureaucracy following Brexit.

“The seafood sector is a crucial part of our rural economy, supporting jobs in coastal communities and our priority has been to protect people’s livelihoods.

“While we continue to work to resolve some of the export issues the sector faces, this new funding will help the sector’s longer term recovery from these recent challenges.”

Fish processors air problems with the PM

REPRESENTATIVES of the fi shing and fi sh processing industries in Scotland met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 5 August to share their concerns over quota nego� a� ons and labour shortages.

The mee� ng took place in Fraserburgh, in north east Scotland. Chief Execu� ve of the Sco� sh Seafood Associa� on, Jimmy Buchan outlined how Brexit and Covid-19 had combined to create a perilous situa� on for companies in the seafood sector, with produc� on and export capacity severely reduced.

He demanded urgent ac� on from the Prime Minister to help address the issue of labour shortages within the sector.

Also at the mee� ng, representa� ves from the fi shing industry called on the PM to nego� ate a be� er deal for the UK sector’s alloca� on of quotas, and raised concern that the drive to exploit renewable wind power along the coast could have an impact on off shore fi shing grounds.

A� er the mee� ng, Jimmy Buchan said: “I along with others from the catching sector made it plain to the Prime Minister that the Brexit deal had fallen far short of expecta� ons.

And most per� nently for the processing sector, I sought an assurance that the Government would work closely with us to resolve the cri� cal shortage of labour.

He agreed that a campaign was required to encourage young people into the industry and on the need for direct ac� on to stem the haemorrhage of overseas workers that has occurred since 1 January.”

Jimmy Buchan agreed to carry out further discussions on how to move forward with Scotland Offi ce minister David Duguid.

Elspeth Macdonald, chief execu� ve of the Sco� sh Fishermen’s Federa� on also commented: “The Prime Minister has spoken previously of an El Dorado of fi sh from 2026 onwards but we are seeking a commitment from him to deliver much be� er opportuni� es for the Sco� sh fl eet in the mean� me as well as in the longer term.”

“In the short term it will be a case of survival for the industry, but we want to thrive, and to ensure that we can build back this industry we need to start planning now.”

As well as Brexit, food processors have been hit by Covid-19 self-isola� on rules – the socalled “pingdemic” – with many workers having to stay at home a� er being no� fi ed that they have been in proximity to an individual who has tested posi� ve. Last month, the rules on isola� on were changed to allow priority workers in the food supply chain to take daily Covid-19 tests if they have been “pinged”, rather than having to isolate.

Salmon boosts Marel’s earnings

MAREL, the interna� onal fi sh and meat process equipment group, has reported a strong order book during the second quarter of this year, thanks in part to record demand in the salmon sector.

The current order book now stands at €499.1m, up from €439m a year ago, while the profi t was €23.3m against €30.7m in Q2 2020.

But the profi t for the January to June half year period was marginally higher at €44.5m, with orders up by well over €100m to 740.7m.

CEO Árni Oddur Þórðarson added: “The second quarter was good for Marel. Our ambi� ous team tackled challenges with op� mism and perseverance in close collabora� on with suppliers and customers.

“For the second quarter in a row, we are delivering a record order of 370 million euros. It is gra� fying to see strong orders coming in to serve the poultry industry, the meat industry was in line with expecta� ons and we are seeing record orders coming into the fi shing industry where sushi and other salmon products were clearly on the menu.

“A strong and well-composed order book is the basis of our goals for increased revenue with improved margins looking ahead. Pipeline sales projects, which are not yet confi rmed in the order book, con� nue to grow in all industries.”

In July, Marel announced plans to buy Valka ehf, a salmon and white fi sh processing equipment business also based in Iceland.

Arnarlax gets BRC seal of approval

ICELANDIC salmon company Arnarlax has been awarded the all-important British Retail Consortium (BRC) food safety certification for its processing operation in Bíldudalur in the Westfjords region.

BRC Food Safety certification gives the company, which trades internationally under the name Icelandic Salmon AS, a key to the potentially lucrative UK retail market.

As the BRC Food Safety standard is recognised by the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative), the certification also provides businesses with international recognition for food safety.

Many retailers, manufacturers, and food service companies will require a third-party food safety certification such as BRC Food Safety as part of their supplier approval process.

Arnarlax said: “We are proud of this supplement. This certification confirms that hygiene, quality and safety standards in the processing are at the highest international level. Behind a certification like this lies a lot of work and preparation and with a good team, the goal was achieved!”

Arnarlax, which is now largely owned by the Norwegian salmon giant SalMar, is planning a major expansion in output over the next few years, reflecting growing confidence in Iceland’s aquaculture sector.

Stress levels soar for food chain workers during pandemic

NINE out of 10 frontline food produc� on and supply workers report worsening mental health since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a study carried out for SAMH (the Sco� sh Associa� on for Mental Health).

The research, carried out by 3Gem on adults in Scotland employed in the frontline food produc� on and supply sectors, also found that younger people aged between 25-34 have been the hardest hit.

Increased feelings of stress and anxiety were reported by over three quarters (81%) of those surveyed. Among the main barriers preventing frontline food produc� on and supply sector workers from accessing mental health support include wai� ng � mes (39%), not being sure where to look (39%), feeling too busy (33%) and feeling that the problems they have are not serious enough (33%).

SAMH is now off ering a mental health support service, Time For You, in associa� on with Glasgow Caledonian University.

Fiona Benton, Assistant Director of Delivery and Development at SAMH, said: “We know from the research that frontline workers feel they would benefi t from help such as talking therapies like cogni� ve behaviour therapy and access to self-help resources, so we hope that Time for You will be a valuable resource for many people. We urge anyone who is struggling to reach out and take the fi rst step – it’s OK to not be OK.”

The Time for You service will be resourced to support up to 4,000 people and as well as food and supply workers, is open to frontline workers in the health, retail, social care and public transport sectors.