Marine Harvest Ireland (MHI ) has announced an agreement for Cill Chiaráin Éisc Teoranta, part of the Irish Seafood Producers Group (ISPG ) to process the stock from its Kilkieran Bay site in 2015.
MHI currently employs fifteen staff on the site, which it has been operating since October 2013. The agreement will see €20m worth of its ‘Irish Organic Salmon Co.’ product processed between March and July 2015. Approximately 85 per cent of the processed product will be exported to fifteen different countries worldwide.
Pat Connors, Sales and Processing Director, Marine Harvest Ireland said; “Marine Harvest Ireland looks to work with local partners and suppliers where at all possible and we utilise in excess of 600 local suppliers across the country.
“We are delighted therefore, to announce this agreement, which will see our fish processed here in Kilkieran, making it a truly local operation. This is a significant investment and if we can bring the stock safely through to harvest in the spring of next year, will represent a major supply line for our global export business.”
Cill Chiaráin Éisc Teoranta was established in 1988 and currently employs 45 people. Based in Kilkieran, it is part of the ISPG which is Ireland’s leading supplier of organic salmon and organic trout farmed at sea.
Cill Chiaráin Éisc Teoranta MD Liam Roche said; “This is an important contract for us, with Marine Harvest being a both global name and Ireland’s leading Salmon producer. Moreover, we are very pleased to have this activity taking place in Kilkieran, not just for the staff at our facility, but for the area as a whole. It is our hope that this can be a catalyst for further investment and activity.”
Marine Harvest Ireland was founded in 1979. It is the only producer of organic salmon in the Marine Harvest Group. It employs over 280 people in Ireland and utilises over 600 Irish suppliers across all its locations to a value of over €18million to the local economy.
