Lice prevention cut farmer’s costs by 25p/kg last year
The impact that prevention of sea lice infestations has on salmon farming costs has been demonstrated by figures from Norwegian producer SinkabergHansen.
The company, which harvests more than 30,000 gutted weight tonnes of fish annually, was able to cut production costs by almost NOK 3 (£0.25) per kilo by halving the number of lice treatments last year.
“Significant work has been done with preventive measures related to lice. We have more than halved the number of treatments in 2021 compared to 2020. As a result of fewer treatments, the fish has been able to stand still and grow well without disturbances,” the company said in its 2021 annual report.
“We have a reduction in the production cost of NOK 2.90 per kg. The production tax is a new tax in 2021, so if we disregard it, we have reduced the production cost by NOK 3.30 per kg. The margin on aquaculture was NOK 15.78 per kg.”
The company, which procudes both smolts and food fish, had a turnover of NOK 2.5 billion in 2021, compared with NOK 2.18 billion in 2020. Profit for 2021 was NOK 360 million, a 31% increase compared to the NOK 274m made in 2020.
