Tensions run high over fish farm deal

The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) has accused the Salmon Farm Protest Group (SFPG) of scaremongering after it claimed 500 jobs could go as a result of Norwegian firm Pan Fish's latest acquisition.

Pan Fish acquired fish farm Marine Harvest in March, but has since made no announcements regarding the fate of its staff.

However, the SSPO said it was “mischief-making” to speculate on future moves: “We don't know where [the SFPG] got those figures from.” The organisation added that if consolidation secured jobs in the long term, then it could only be a positive move. “If companies are owned by Norwegians, but run by Scots, it is a good thing - safeguarding jobs helps to stabilise the industry.”

However, SFPG chairman Bruce Sandison was outraged by Norwegian companies' dominance of the Scottish salmon market. “I believe the support given to Norwegian fish farmers by the Scottish Executive, both financially and morally, is disgraceful,” he said.

He estimated that 500 [salmon processing] jobs had been lost since 2004 because of closures, and said the Pan Fish deal could lead to the loss of another 500, bringing the total number of jobs shed in the past four years to around 2,500.

The SSPO maintained that the figures were misleading because the market had changed since 2004. “These statistics imply that the salmon industry is getting smaller, but in fact demand is rising because of an interest in healthy convenience food and omega-3,” it said.

The £900M deal, which would make Pan Fish the world's biggest fish farming company, is currently being reviewed by the Office of Fair Trading.