Dawnfresh farming boss takes new job with ASC

Hutchins spent almost nine years at Dawnfresh, joining as technical and compliance manager (farming) in July 2013 and combining that role with the job of farming director from November 2017.

Dawnfresh Seafoods went into administration earlier this year, leading to the loss of 200 seafood processing jobs at Uddingston, near Glasgow. The company’s fish farming subsidiary, Dawnfresh Farming Ltd, is trading solvently and has been put up for sale by administrators.

New challenge

In a post on LinkedIn, Hutchins said: “Excited to share that I have joined Aquaculture Stewardship Council as Director of Innovations. Looking forward to the new challenge and meeting new colleagues.

“Sending big thanks to all my Dawnfresh friends for being part of my professional growth over the last 9 years.”

Hutchins is well qualified for her new role with the ASC, which certifies salmon farms to standards that include maintaining and monitoring water and seabed quality, preventing escapes, keeping fish healthy, and paying and treating workers fairly.

Environment protection

She holds both a BSc and Masters in aquaculture, and her cv includes two years as environment and quality assistant manager for Marine Harvest Scotland (Mowi), and four years as an environmental protection officer with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

She also worked as environmental development manager for the Scottish Salmon Company and spent two years as the director of an environmental consultancy.

Scotland’s biggest salmon farmer, Mowi, has been concentrating on getting its Scottish sites ASC certified following a change of rules that made marine sites that use smolts raised in freshwater lochs eligible for the standard.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, supplied by Mowi, recently announced that all of its fresh Scottish salmon range is now ASC certified – a first for the UK.