Salmon farmers plan for growth

SALMON farmers are marking the 40th anniversary of the first commercial farm in Scotland by planning further development.

The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) says it wants to grow the industry by 4 per cent a year over the next decade.

The ambition to achieve an annual production of 210,000 tonnes by 2020 is highlighted in the SSPO's annual report.

Professor Phil Thomas, the organisation's chairman, said: "This is a year of celebration for the industry; it is also a year of planning for the future."

The first commercial harvest of Scottish salmon was 14 tonnes in 1971 at a farm in Loch Ailort, near Fort William. Now, farmers grow 144,000 tonnes and it has become Scotland's single largest food export.

Prof Thomas said: "It is planned to develop the industry at an average of 4 per cent per year to achieve annual production of 210,000 tonnes by 2020."

Scott Landsburgh, the SSPO's chief executive, added: "Forty years ago some people hailed the salmon industry as the 'replacement for the oil bonanza', while others questioned the credibility of the technology involved.

"We may not have matched the oil industry's revenue but we have stood the test of time."