Scottish salmon exports up 17%

EXPORTS of Scottish farmed salmon rose 17 per cent by value last year to £451 million, with a big recovery in sales into the European Union, up by more than a third on 2015.

The new figures, from HM Revenue and Customs, show that the tonnage of exported salmon fell from 100,000 tonnes in 2014 to 83,400 tonnes in 2015.And last year, it fell by 10 per cent, to 74,600 tonnes.

The decline is largely due to a fall in the supply and a reduced average size, caused by sea lice and disease.

But the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) claims recent evidence suggests that fish health is improving, and it expects an increase of 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes in production this year. If that happens, it could make 2017 a record export year.

Around 52 per cent of salmon farmed in Scotland is consumed in the UK. Exports into the EU were up 37 per cent to £204 million last year. France is the biggest single EU market.

The export value fell from £494 million in 2014, to £386 million last year, mainly because of the collapse of the Norwegian kroner, which made imports from Norway cheaper.