Update from the processing sector

‘Salmon express’ makes first trip

A new rail service carrying salmon from northern Norway for processing in Denmark and other European countries was inaugurated at the start of this month

Above: The CargoNet hybrid train THE first train hauling 18 salmon wagons left the port of Narvik on Friday 3 December. Despite winter snow, it arrived without incident in Padborg in the far south of Denmark. Some of the fish will be sent onto Poland, which has a large salmon processing industry. The test service attracted so much interest that it was quickly fully booked. It was launched by CargoNet, the Scandinavian rail company, which started a similar service to Malmö in southern Sweden 18 months ago.

CargoNet said the development would ensure fresh Norwegian seafood can get to European markets as quickly as it would road trucks. It should also ease pressure on northern Europe’s roads as well as cutting CO2 emissions. The company has several terminals in Norway.

On its return journey the wagons are filled with general goods and foodstuffs and taken to Oslo then onto the north of the country.

CargoNet Sales and Marketing Chief Karl Fredrik Karlsen said the new service met all the criteria for the fast transport of fish with the lowest possible carbon footprint.

“The intention is to start three trips a week”

It also contributed to improved traffic safety, he said, because fewer heavy lorries are on the roads, along with offering the seafood sector a simpler and better transport service.

One fully loaded train can carry 700 tonnes of fish, doing away with 10,000 road trailer journeys and reducing 20,000 tonnes of CO2 over a year.

Karlsen said the weekend trip was a test service to gain experience, but the intention is to start three trips a week next year, increasing to five a week if demand warrants it.

Eirik Flo, Logistics Director at Coast Seafood, described the development as exciting, adding that Padborg had long wanted a regular seafood rail service from Norway.

Norcod in harvest agreement with Vesterålen Havbruk

Cod farmer Norcod and aquaculture business Vesterålen Havbruk have agreed a partnership deal for the harvesting of all Norcod’s farmed cod volumes from its Frosvika facility in Meløy, in Nordland county, Norway.

The agreement runs for the next three years with an option to extend, and covers the entire slaughter and processing of cod at Vesterålen Havbruk’s fish-processing facility in Myre. The facility also processes large amounts of wild cod during the winter fishing season. Myre is considered the “cod capital” of Norway. The agreement covers harvest of up to 10,000 tonnes per year.

“The first harvest will take place from September next year and into 2023. The fish went into the sea at Frosvika this summer, so it will be the culmination of almost two years’ hard work during the production cycle. We know our fish will be in the best hands,” said Norcod Production Director Rune Eriksen.

The deal is a key step for Vesterålen Havbruk as it will enable year-round activity for the facility in Myre.

“We’re very happy to be working closely with market leader Norcod. This agreement is important for both companies as it enables a better utilisation of the untapped potential in existing facilities. It will also contribute to sustaining our local community with year-round jobs. our employees are used to handling large volumes of cod during the main season and being able to transfer this knowledge into cod farming is key in the scale-up of the whitefish industry,” said CEo of Vesterålen Havbruk, Brynjar Kværnstuen.

Vesterålen Havbruk will also harvest its own farmed cod, raised in pens at sea, next year. Together with the Norcod volumes, the partners are now closer to building Norway’s largest facility for processing farmed cod.

“It’s a great decision and we look forward to working together to build a new and sustainable cod-farming industry. The market is crying out for fresh farmed cod year-round, so there’s plenty room for more players. Competition is good,” said Eriksen.

Harvesting of Norcod’s cod volumes from its other sites further south in Norway are not covered by the agreement, with separate slaughter arrangements in place in Trøndelag county.

Greencore opens up the books on seafood sourcing

ConvenienCe food manufacturer Greencore Group plc has taken a major step towards transparency by publishing details of its seafood sourcing through the ocean Disclosure Project (oDP).

The company’s disclosure profile shows that 99.9% of its seafood from aquaculture comes from farms certified under recognised international programmes.

Based in the UK, Greencore supplies chilled, frozen and ambient foods to all major supermarkets in the UK, as well as convenience and travel retail outlets, discounters, coffee shops, food services and other retailers. Greencore has voluntarily disclosed information about the origins of its seafood ingredients through the oDP.

The company has published an ODP profile containing a list of its wild-caught and farmed seafood sources alongside information on the country of origin, certification and ratings, and environmental impact of production. The data can be seen at oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/greencore.

Greencore Purchasing Controller, Seafood, victoria Broekhuizen said: “We have worked really hard with our suppliers on fish sourcing and disclosing our progress is crucial; it helps drive accountability through transparency. We are committed to continuous improvement, and this way our progress is visible to all.”

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the ODP, said: “By participating in the Ocean Disclosure Project, Greencore has acted on its commitment to environmental transparency and successfully fulfilled its ambition to disclose the sources of its wild-caught and farmed seafood ingredients.”

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the oDP in 2015 to provide an information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 39 other companies including retailers, suppliers and aquaculture feed manufacturers from around the world have participated. Other new participants this year have included seafood suppliers Thai Union Group, LP Foods and Hilton Seafood UK.

Above: Sushi (photo: Greencore)

Dutch processing companies in strategic alliance

FOOD and feed-processing manufacturers Dinnissen Process Technology and Ottevanger Milling Engineers have formed a collaboration.

The deal between the two Netherlands-based companies has been realised through a participation in Dinnissen by Bolster Investment Partners and Triott Group, the holding company that owns Ottevanger.

The collaboration allows Dinnissen to focus more on high-end processing solutions for food, dairy, chemicals, pet food and pharma. For Ottevanger, the alliance offers the opportunity to strengthen its position in the international feed market.

The companies said that this step fitted in with the ambition of the companies “to realise value creation, continuity and growth in a sustainable way”.

Both companies have strong international customer bases that largely complement each other. With the alliance, the companies said they would continue to shape collaboration in areas such as customer projects, international services, R&D, innovation and efficiency.

Dinnissen Process Technology CCO Frans Bakker said: “We are facing the next growth step for our company. This alliance with Ottevanger and Bolster enables us to achieve this and to continue our healthy future. We want to follow our customers even more internationally, and strengthen our service and 24/7 support. Ottevanger has been a solid player in the international processing industry for years. We complement each other very nicely.”

Ernst-Jan Ottevanger, Ottevanger Milling Engineers and Triott Group CEO, said: “Dinnissen is a wonderful company, built on values that have many similarities with our values: customer friendly, progressive and with an eye for the human dimension. This alliance fits in with our growth strategy. We are confident we can offer our customers even more with this.”

Below: Dinnissen Ottevanger organic nutrition centre