Mowi has bought all stock from Organic Sea Harvest
Juvenile smolts are being moved to company's sites for grow-out
Mowi Scotland has purchased all fish that were being grown by Skye salmon farmer Organic Sea Harvest (OSH), which announced earlier this month that it was fallowing both of its existing farms and making staff redundant after running out of money.
“The salmon are all juvenile smolts and Mowi will move them to other farms and grow the salmon to reach harvest size,” the company said.
“We are pleased with this outcome, and it is the responsible thing to do in order to ensure that the salmon fulfil their growth potential and that there is no disruption to supply.”
Planning challenges
In an announcement on March 4, OSH said the challenging and slow pace of the planning and regulatory system in Scotland has resulted in it reaching the end of its financial resources. Consequently, a decision had been made to fallow its farms at Culnacnoc and Invertote until refinancing could be agreed for the business, including for the development of a new farm near Balmaqueen.
The company has also experienced high fish mortality levels due to a microjellyfish bloom. Such losses are more difficult to withstand with only two sites for income.
OSH won permission for the farms at Culnacnoc and Invertote off the northeast coast of Skye in 2018 but was later refused permission for farms at Balmaqueen and Flodigarry further up the coast. It has always said that it needed at least three farms to be financially viable.
OSH eventually won permission for a third farm at Balmaqueen last year, when Highland councillors narrowly overturned the decision of the council’s planning committee, but it has not had time to develop the farm.
