A land-based, warmwater shrimp farm has been launched in Scotland with the aim to supply products from tank to plate within 24 hours.
Great British Prawns (GBP) said that its recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) farm at Balfron, Stirlingshire, is deploying specially-developed aquaculture technology in addition to using sustainable energy to produce Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) – marketed by the company as “king prawns” – in clean, clear water.
The 1,500-square-meter site can produce up to one million shrimp of 25 grams each.
"Most prawns have traveled 6,000 miles to reach a U.K. consumer, with worldwide demand continuing to grow,” GBP Chairman and Commercial Director James McEuen said. “But we know that consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of seafood production and to be sustainable, the future of aquaculture really has to be land-based. We aim to meet growing U.K. consumer demand for regional and local food production with the reassurance of outstanding husbandry, provenance, and sustainability."
From this summer, GBP’s shrimp will initially be available to hotel and restaurant chefs within a two-hour radius of the farm, and will be priced similarly to other shellfish.
The company plans to open a series of similar facilities across the country.
