Cooke to re-open former Skretting feed mill
Canadian-owned salmon farmer Cooke Inc today announced that it had bought the former Skretting fish feed mill in Invergordon, Easter Ross, to supply its Scottish operation, Cooke Aquaculture Scotland.
Cooke has established a new company, Northeast Nutrition Scotland Limited, to run the facility which is situated on Inverbreakie Industrial Estate.
“All of our salmon is reared using feeds that are manufactured in compliance with the highest standards for animal feed safety,” said Glenn Cooke, chief executive of Cooke Inc, in a press release.
Vertical integration
“We are excited to include domestic feed manufacturing in Scotland, adding to the vertical integration of our operations and further enhancing the full traceability of our fish.”
Skretting announced in November 2018 that it planned to cease manufacturing activities in the UK, with the loss of around 100 jobs, and closed the Invergordon facility at the end of April 2019. The company blamed its decision on overcapacity in a “highly-competitive” market, which would be increased further when Mowi’s feed plant at Kyleakin, Skye, came on stream.
Skretting chief executive Therese Log Bergjord said at the time that overcapacity was driving down prices, “leading to an unsustainable commercial environment”.
Experienced team
Cooke said it plans to work with former employees who were affected by the closure to resume operations at the mill.
“We are thrilled to be in a position to offer new opportunities to those employees and have an engaged and experienced team in place from day one,” said Chris Bryden, mill manager.
“As a rural coastal community, Invergordon has a population of approximately 4,000 residents. Joining the Cooke family of companies provides us with the opportunity to keep Scottish jobs and be an important part of a globally respected growing seafood leader.”
Cooke said its commitment to sustainably sourced feed ingredients, ongoing improvements to feed formulations and innovations in feed delivery allowed the company to produce healthy fish for its customers.
