With major processor Marine Harvest Scotland announcing plans to cut 100 jobs this year and in light of the considerable job losses being weathered by Young’s Seafood after losing its Sainsbury salmon contract to the former company, some members of Scottish parliament think it may be time to question the viability of fish processing in the area.
Lewis Macdonald, a north-east Labour MSP, has said it’s time to seriously consider how the Scottish Government can support the fish processing industry moving forward, according to the Press and Journal.
“Around 100 people are going to be out of work and their situation is very serious – many live in small communities a long way from the nearest jobs. But the fact the Marine Harvest is making 100 redundancies on the farming side certainly raises questions about the company’s operations in Scotland as a whole,” said Macdonald.
Moreover, Macdonald insisted that the taskforce established in the name of aiding Young’s Seafood workers – 650 of whom face redundancy after Sainsbury’s opted its salmon processing contract over to Marine Harvest back in June 2015 – should be looking into alternatives for the Watermill Road plant.
A major jobs fair for Young’s Fraserburgh workers is slated to be held on 28 January, as set up by the Scottish Government, with a meeting of the Fraserburgh Taskforce to follow on 29 January.
