17 January 2007

UNITED Fish Industries has been granted permission to build a 50 million euros (£36 million) state of the art fish meal and oil plant in Killibegs, in Ireland.

The company, which also owns the Shetland Fish Products plant in Bressay, said the manufacturing plant would “underpin Killybegs vital roll as Ireland’s premier fishing port”.

The plant will be built at the new Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre, and will replace the company’s original plant which was built in 1957.

The new plant is designed to have a daily production output of 2,000 tonnes of fish meal.

UFI managing director John Healy said “This positive decision by Donegal County Council is most welcome and further reinforces UFI’s commitment to Killybegs.

“Our objective will be to construct a facility to the highest design and environmental standards which will provide much needed additional industrial fish landing capacity thereby safeguarding the future of the fishing industry in Killybegs”.

UFI is a subsidiary of Origin Enterprises (part of the IAWS Group) and has been operating in Killybegs for over 50 years as a support service to the fishing industry.

The company employs 150 people in its operations in Killybegs, Aberdeen, Shetland and Grimsby.

Mr Healy added: “The logistical advantages of the Fisheries Harbour Centre, combined with the quality, scale and efficiency benefits of the new facility, will make UFI highly competitive in attracting additional landings of blue whiting, including catches made by foreign vessels within convenient steaming time of the Irish coast.

“It will also ensure continued supplies of organic fishmeal from UFI to the fish farming industry in Ireland.”