Loch Duart Ltd, a small salmon farm in Sutherland, bought the sites of the neighbouring farm in 2004. At a time when many salmon farms were struggling to survive, Loch Duart concentrated on local expansion. The area between the Point of Stoer and Cape Wrath is one of the last large areas on the West coast where the salmon farms are owned solely by Scottish companies. Continuing the existing policy of sustainable salmon farming, Loch Duart has reduced the overall amount of salmon produced in the area.

Loch Duart, the youngest salmon farming company in Scotland, was formed in 1999, taking over a farm that was established in 1975. Owned and managed by Scots, it has developed a reputation for producing salmon of the highest quality with a taste that has achieved a deserved reputation. Loch Duart is the first salmon farm in the world to have achieved formal recognition of its fish welfare and environmental policies - through Freedom Food and ISO 14001 respectively. This unique provenance has enabled the development of niche markets in many countries including France, the USA, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Austria, South Africa Russia and the Far East. It is on the basis of this strong market development that Loch Duart decided to take this extraordinary step.

As Nick Joy, Managing Director, said at the time:-
"This purchase will allow us to develop our farming ideology over a significant area of the coast. We have all worked hard to bring success to Loch Duart. We believe that, when all of our current practices are in place on the new sites, we will have a secure and long-term base for the future. Our practices are designed for the welfare of the salmon and the environment, also to maintain employment in the local community"

Previously Loch Duart farmed in three separate sea lochs, leaving one fallow each year for full regeneration through the actions of wind and tide. This policy has been maintained and applied to the aquired sites.

Markets for the salmon have been found in high quality retail and restaurant outlets throughout the world, with customer loyalty based on quality and the environmental and fish welfare policies of the company. "A massive factor in that success has been producing salmon that tastes very close to wild salmon," adds Andrew Bing, Sales Director.

Key features of Loch Duart's different farming methods have been extended to the new sites. These are, amongst others:

• Full-year fallows - as in traditional rotational land farming
• No antifouling treatments on nets or moorings
• No antibiotics
• Fish feed from sustainable sources
• Environmental Management System (ISO 14001)
• Respect for the salmon, the environment and the local community

"Consumers are increasingly looking for 'provenance' in all farmed food", added Andrew Bing, "Our markets have been developed by finding customers who are prepared to pay a little more for their salmon. The combined production from these sites still forms a tiny fraction of European market demand and allows us to sell on a very personal level. A considerable number of our customers have been to our farm, been out to sea to see the salmon and have got to know the staff. They like the way that the salmon are reared and like the way that Loch Duart salmon tastes. We have been bringing in potential and current customers to Scourie all through the winter, even when most hotels are shut, and a steady stream have planned trips this spring."

But, in these tough times for the industry, why did a salmon farm take such a risk?

"We have great teams in production and sales and they are ready to meet the challenge of the next few years" said Alan Balfour, Commercial Director. "The staff numbers rose from 30 to around 40 and we are all aware of our responsibilities to the local community and the environment by making this a success. We believe that our market growth, production quality and prudence during the last few turbulent years for salmon farming will carry us through to a greater success and we must also thank Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise for its invaluable ongoing support and assistance."

Nick Joy, Managing Director said "We are proud to have been able to take this step, it is a measure of our faith in our salmon, our staff, our customers and salmon farming in general. There are major benefits for our salmon and the environment in a co-ordinated approach to salmon farming from Point of Stoer to Cape Wrath. This step leads us a long way down that path".

"It is encouraging to see a Scottish-based, Scottish-owned company acting as a pioneering force in the move towards sustainable salmon farming," says Andrew Wallace, Director of the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards. "Using innovative management techniques such as year-long fallowing and low stocking rates, Loch Duart is demonstrating that it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of marine salmon farming, about which there is so much concern, whilst maintaining and now, it appears, growing, a viable business in such a competitive market".

Supporting Notes

• The ISO 14001 reflects the fact that all organisations undertake activities that have an impact on the environment. It is awarded to organisations that demonstrate effective environmental management, compliance with legislation and total commitment to continuous improvement.
• Freedom Food is the RSPCA's farm assurance scheme and is a non-profit making charity. The aim of the scheme is simple - to improve the lives of as many farm animals as possible.
• Loch Duart Ltd won the "UK Best New Exporter Award 2001" at the International Business Awards in London in December 2001.
• Loch Duart was Food from Britain's "Scottish Exporter of the Year 2002", also the winner of the "Best Marketing Award" at the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Awards, July 2002.
• In 2003 and 2004 Loch Duart was awarded the 'Vision in Business for the Environment' (VIBES) award for the North of Scotland. This Scotland-wide award "is presented to companies demonstrating exceptional environmental performance".
• Loch Duart salmon is served by name at Loch Fyne Restaurants all over the UK, also in top London restaurants such as Fortnum & Mason Restaurants, Zuma, Le Pont de la Tour, Quaglino's, Bibendum, Feng Sushi, Moshi Moshi and at leading independent fishmongers in France.
• The Association of Salmon Fishery Boards co-ordinates the activities of regional wild salmon fishery boards throughout Scotland.
• Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise supports a vast and diverse area of Highlands and Islands, helping to unlock commercial potential and create a strong and sustainable economy. See www.hie.co.uk/case.