expansion of Arbroath factory marked in style

The Princess Royal visited RR Spink & Sons yesterday to mark the £3.1 million expansion of its Arbroath factory.

Part of the Dawnfresh Seafoods group, it holds a royal warrant as fishmongers to the Queen.

The Princess Royal met staff and local dignitaries before being shown around the Arbroath factory by company chairman Alastair Salvesen.

Mr Salvesen said: “We are grateful that her royal highness has come to see for herself how the fish we supply to her majesty and her guests is sourced, prepared, processed and packed to the highest standards.

“High-quality seafood is something for which Scotland is famous around the world.

“RR Spink have been part of that story for more than 300 years, and at Dawnfresh we are very aware of the responsibility this history brings.

“We are already one of the largest employers in Arbroath, and this expansion and modernisation of the site has raised our facilities and equipment to a very high standard.”

The Princess Royal has recently become prime warden of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers.

During her visit she witnessed he production process, from the arrival of ingredients to the finished product being despatched to supermarkets and other outlets across the UK.

She also learned how the company guarantees safety, hygiene and quality standards.

At the conclusion of her tour, the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate the opening of the site.

She also signed the visitors’ book, and congratulated the RR Spink staff on their hard work.

A team of 170 in Arbroath prepare each product by hand, from curing and smoking to slicing and finishing, and produce around 170,000 packets of fish a week.

Dawnfresh Seafoods and Dawnfresh Farming have been endorsed by RSPCA Assured for their sustainably farmed trout, reared in a way that mimics those in which they would live in the wild and meeting the highest welfare standards.