Skretting makes a million in just 11 months!
Skretting teams around the world are taking a little time out this week to celebrate reaching the ‘1 million tonne’ mark in salmon feed delivered this year. Aquafeed.com congratulates Skreting on the millionth tonne of Skretting salmon feed they calculate will be produced in 2007 today, Tuesday 4 December.
“We continue to build our market share, even in challenging times, and this year we will certainly pass 1 million tonnes of produced and delivered feed,” says a smiling Knut Nesse, Managing Director of Business Group Skretting Salmon Feed.
“Our entire workforce on all continents can take real pride in this achievement,” Nesse adds. “Hitting the 1 million tonne mark within the year reflects our passion for meeting customer needs with quality and performance in the fish feeds we produce and the service we provide along with them. All employees will have a moment to celebrate but we won’t pause for too long because we know there are customers and fish out there wanting more.”
Skretting companies in
Endorsing the pride that Skretting can take from this moment, Wout Dekker, CEO of Skretting’s parent company Nutreco, says, “This is a real milestone for the company. The achievement highlights the firm foundation of this young industry. Given the existing size of the salmon industry and the continuing growth of other aquaculture species, I can foresee a day when we will celebrate 2 million tonnes. To reach that point, we need to continue our investments in R&D and bring about many innovations. There is much to be done, for example in fish health and the sustainability of aquaculture. But, when you look back at how far we have developed since we celebrated 100,000 tonnes, it is clear we can achieve remarkable progress and Nutreco is determined to continue that progress.”
3 billion meals
Skretting calculates that 1 million tonnes of salmon feed translates into close to 3 billion servings of fish. This is based on an average economic feed conversion ratio of 1.4 and a fillet yield of 60%, so that 1 kg of feed provides 2.9 salmon portions of 150g.
“Fish continues to grow in popularity in the western hemisphere because it is healthy nutrition. Simultaneously, consumption is rising in line with increasing wealth in the
“Our other challenge is to do this in a sustainable manner, without taking more of the marine raw materials, fishmeal and fish oil, than the seas can continue to provide, which is why our marine raw materials are only sourced from regulated fisheries.
“Furthermore, because Skretting makes significant investments in R&D, for several years we have been able to increase our production while decreasing the amount of fishmeal and fish oil we use. For example, between 2004 and 2007 we increased our sales of salmon feed by 28% but decreased the consumption of fishmeal by 11% and of fish oil by 20%. Fishmeal and fish oil have been replaced with other raw materials such as rapeseed oil, soya meal, sunflower meal and corn gluten.
“At the same time, the salmon produced with Skretting feed continue to be tasty and nutritious, providing a rich source of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids, offering the many health benefits now associated with these essential nutrients.”
