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The oceans of the world cover 70% of the planet. Yet provide only 2% of the world's food.
Given that the global population is set
to reach 9 billion by 2050, increasing the levels of farming in our oceanic waters seems like a logical solution. As we have seen over recent years however, this raises numerous environmental concerns.
How can we therefore meet the needs
of a fast-growing population while maintaining the quality and sustainability of both our food and environment?
One company leading the way in innovative and responsible fish farming is Scotland’s Marine Harvest.
Established in 1965, Marine Harvest is
the largest salmon farming company in Scotland and last year produced over 52,000 tonnes of fresh salmon.
As well as growing demand for their Scottish salmon across Europe, USA and even China, they are also the only salmon farming company to boast the Royal
Warrant to supply fresh salmon to Her Majesty the Queen herself. So what’s their secret?
For Managing Director Ben Hadfield, it’s appreciating the value of quality. A belief that starts with the highest quality water “We have the best sites off the west coast of Scotland. And as the industry expands, we’re setting up new farms in more exposed locations to ensure the very best water quality.”
This philosophy also incorporates an adherence to strict operating standards. The company proudly subscribes to a number of welfare, product and environmental schemes that include: Label Rouge, Code of Good Practice, GlobalGAP, ISO 14001, ISO9001, PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), BRC (British Retail Consortium), Aquaculture Stewardship Council and RSPCA Assured.
Of course, a company is nothing without its staff. For Marine Harvest, that’s 500 experienced and motivated employees, many of whom live in remote local
communities along the west coast of Scotland. Furthermore, we cannot mention quality without discussing sustainability. Which is why the company share a close-working relationship with their fish feed suppliers to ensure they only use sustainable ingredients of the highest standard; “As our customers would expect from us with our salmon,
we must also have traceability of our feed ingredients. The main ingredients include a blend of fish meal, fish oil, vegetable oil, vegetable protein and vitamins and minerals, all of which we can trace right
to source.”
Looking to the future, Marine Harvest believe research and technology will play a pivotal role in ensuring salmon farming is a sustainable endeavour. While global competition intensifies and demand rapidly increases, it is crucial that we do not overlook the environmental factors involved in this industry, or else we risk cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Imagery © Marine Harvest.
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