Rural Affairs Minister opens Holywood Breeding Centre

SCOTLAND’S Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, has presided at a long-overdue official opening for AquaGen Scotland’s hatchery at Holywood.

AquaGen acquired the Holywood Breeding Centre, near Dumfries, in March 2019 and the company has invested more than £5m, rebuilding and repurposing the facility for salmon egg production.The official reopening of the facility was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:

“Aquaculture and its wider supply chain is an essential component of Scotland’s economy, adding valuable jobs and contributing to the local economies in some of our most fragile and rural communities.

“We are working to continually improve the policy and regulatory framework to mitigate environmental impact and at the same time support sustainable growth, and I welcome plans by AquaGen to increase egg production for domestic and export markets.

Left: Mairi Gougeon (centre) with staff at the Holywood facility

Above: The hatchery “I am delighted to see this important part of the breeding sector develop in Scotland, which will support better biosecurity by providing a robust ova supply in Scotland, selected for their performance in the Scottish marine environment.”

She also noted that an estimated 75% of Scottish aquaculture supply chain spend is already in Scotland and the centre would further help the country to reduce its reliance on ova imports.