Thousands Of Jobs Lost In UK Salmon Farming

UK - Around 2,500 jobs have been lost in Scottish salmon farming over the last five years, according to the Tongue based Salmon Farming Protest Group (SFPG).

Its chairman Bruce Sandison said yesterday (Sunday) that as part of the continuing concentration process in the industry people living in rural Scotland would face uncertainty.

Mr Sandison quoted figures released by the Scottish Executive earlier this month which reveal that in 2004 salmon farming supported 8,500 jobs in Scotland, down from 10,000 in 2001/02.

He added that since then at least a further 500 jobs have been lost due to closures and expects another 500 jobs to go as part of the Pan Fish acquisition of Marine Harvest and Stolt, which will give the Norwegian multinational a 65 per cent share of the overall Scottish production.

In response to a request from Mr Sandison, Paul Haddon of the Scottish Executive's Marine Group wrote: "In 2001-02 it was estimated that there were about 10,000 jobs in Scotland generated by the production & processing of salmon. The latest figures currently available are for 2004 when it was estimated that the equivalent figure was about 8,500 jobs."

Source: Shetland Marine News