Exports of farmed salmon from Scotland climbed 17 percent in value last year, but there was another steep drop in the volume of fish sold overseas. 2016 also saw a big recovery in exports into the EU, up by more than a third compared with the previous year.
According to new figures are from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the volume of salmon exported by Scotland in 2016 fell by more than a quarter – from 100,000 metric tons (MT) in 2014 to 83,400 MT in 2015, and last year it fell by 10 percent to 74,600 MT as the industry continued to be challenged by bacterial issues, particularly sea lice infestations.
In value terms, these exports fell from GBP 494 million (USD 637.9 million, EUR 585 million) in 2014 to GBP 386 million (USD 498.5 million, EUR 457.2 million) in 2015 but then grew to GBP 451 million (USD 582.5 million, EUR 534.3 million) in 2016.
Salmon is Scotland’s No. 1 food export with the EU market accounting for 75 percent of the overall trade and 30 percent of production. Within the bloc, France is the single biggest EU market. However, the United Kingdom is by far the No.1 consumer of Scottish salmon.
According to industry body, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO), in 2016, companies reported an export value to the EU of GBP 260 million (USD 335.9 million, EUR 308.1 million), a rise of 46 percent compared with 2015.
Additionally, U.K. smoked salmon exports to the EU amounted to 3,868 MT with a value of GBP 37 million (USD 47.8 million, EUR 43.8 million).
Meanwhile, Marine Harvest’s new Integrated Annual Report for 2016, “Leading the Blue Revolution” estimates that the total Scottish salmon harvest fell by 5,600 MT or 3.7 percent last year to 144,100 MT.
