Marine Harvest signs €2.5m Galway deal

The five-year agreement will see collaboration on the production of three crops of salmon meaning continuity of supply for local processor, Kilkieran Salmon and Marine Harvest Ireland's Rinmore Processing plant in Donegal. MHI will supply new pens, marine vessels and related infrastructure in addition to management and technical support.

Capital investment amounts to €2.5million with operating costs to be shared between both companies.

New supply line

Pat Connors, sales and processing director at MHI, which is Ireland's largest organic salmon producer, said: “Marine Harvest Ireland is enthusiastic about working with local partners and suppliers where possible. This is a very

significant announcement in that it represents a new supply line for our global export business. As a result of this partnership, we will have an even greater resource across a number of crucial areas of the business including an experienced management team, heavy-duty equipment and modern technology.”

Gerard O’Donohoe of Mannin Bay Salmon Company stated: “This deal is vital for continuity of supply to our markets all year round. Ninety percent of our produce is exported to markets in the USA, Canada, Dubai, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and France. We are delighted to be partnering with a company of the profile and expertise of Marine Harvest and believe that this venture will be very positive for the local economy.”

€22million investment

MHI previously produced fish in Kilkieran Bay in a partnership with Cill Chiaráin Éisc Teoranta. In Ireland alone, MHI contributes over €15million to the domestic economy annually with some 800 Irish suppliers presently doing business with the company. The company has a €22million investment earmarked for Ireland over the next five years, subject to new licences and renewals.

MHI is a subsidiary of Marine Harvest ASA, headquartered in Norway, which has 12,500 employees operating across 24 countries worldwide and servicing 70 markets. The company has operated successfully in Ireland for 38 years and employs more than 260 people between its salmon farms and hatcheries in Donegal, Mayo and Bantry.

Mannin Bay Salmon Company currently employs 25 people along with five-part time staff. The partnership with MHI will underpin and sustain those jobs, with additional personnel from MHI being deployed on-site. The company has been farming salmon in Connemara since the early 1980s. They have operated specifically in Bertraghboy Bay since 2008. Its stock is currently processed at Kilkieran Salmon.