Salmonids make their stand at Highland Show
The Royal Highland Show may be mostly about sheep, cattle and horses but the aquaculture industry is making its presence known at Scottish agriculture's annual jamboree this week.
RR Spink, a brand of Scotland's biggest trout farmer, Dawnfresh, and Luss Smokehouse have stands in the popular Scotland's Larder Live! building - and both were proving popular with show-goers yesterday, the first day of the four-day event at the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston, Edinburgh.
Claire McKay, who was giving out tasting samples of loch-farmed trout and other products at the RR Spink stand along with colleague Daniel Sheerin, said: "It has been a great day, a lot of interest in the trout especially. A lot of people now realise how good a product it can be [after tasting the samples]. Hopefully it gets rid of the 'rainbow trout' image of it just being a river fish.
"The trout is selling absolutely brilliant today. People have a taste and they can't believe the flavour of it."
The day was also a busy one at the Luss Smokehouse stand, where chief smoker Shona McAdam and general manager Kirsty George were serving a steady stream of customers.
The tiny Loch Lomond business opened in late 2015 and has just taken on its fifth member of staff.
George said: "Business has grown significantly, especially in the last year. All our trout comes from Kames at Kilmelford and all our salmon from the west coast. It's all hand-cut, packed and smoked - by all of us."
The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation sponsored the President's Lunch at the show, serving a salmon starter and showing guests a short film about salmon farming.
Keen to embrace aquaculture
SSPO spokeswoman Julie Edgar said: "We also talked about the importance of the industry. It is the second year we have done it. People remembered us from last year and are interested in how the industry is doing.
"The organisers (Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland - RHASS) are keen to embrace aquaculture because it is another form of farming in the Highlands."
At the Royal Highland Educational Trust (RHET) Discovery Centre young show-goers can join an inter-active workshop to explore the story of farmed salmon and the growth of aquaculture as a sustainable food production system, as well as discovering the potential career pathways and jobs in the sector.
And at the Lantra stand on 7th Avenue, opposite the Main Ring, Scottish Salmon Company apprentice Lisa Askham will be on hand to tell visitors about her experiences of learning and working in aquaculture.
The Royal Highland Show attracts around 180,000 visitors and has an annual economic impact estimated at more than £46 million.
