A look back on Mowi’s 60th year
Throughout 2025, Mowi Scotland invested in its people, facilities and fish welfare, enabling us to produce the highest quality product while providing meaningful careers and supporting communities across Scotland.
Strong performance in 2025
2025 began strongly, with Mowi Scotland publishing robust results for the first half of the year, driven by significant improvements in fish biology. We recorded our best fish health performance for the first six months of the year compared with the same period over the last five years.
“Our costs decreased from the comparable quarter in 2024 on the back of good biological performance, lower realised feed prices and reductions in other expense items,” explains Ben Hadfield, COO for Mowi Scotland. “As a farming company we know that focusing on improving fish survival, welfare and product quality will ultimately lead to excellent financial results, and we are now seeing the benefits of this.”
Investing in the future
Significant investments during the year included the upgrade of Mowi’s Blar Mhor processing facility in Fort William, the launch of Remote Operations Centres and plans to establish a farm on Sanda Island.
The Blar Mhor upgrade involved refurbishment of the existing facility alongside the addition of 5,000m² of new floor space. The modernised site combines cutting-edge innovation with proven, reliable equipment to support the sustainable production of nutritious Scottish salmon. Blar Mhor’s goal is to exceed 10kt capacity during peak months, aligned with Mowi Scotland’s production plans at sea. Just four months after start-up, the facility achieved BRC AA+ accreditation with no non-conformances.
Remote Operations Centres are now operational in Fort William and Stornoway, enabling all seawater farm sites to be fed from centralised locations, optimising feeding strategies and improving efficiency.
In February, Mowi announced its purchase of Sanda Island in Argyll and Bute. Plans include hoping to establish a salmon farm off the island’s east coast, reinvigorating biodiversity, and pursuing collaborative projects to increase tourism and recreational opportunities.
Investing in fish welfare
Mowi has partnered with the Roslin Institute in an £8.5 million, five-year study to improve the welfare and productivity of farm-raised salmon in Scotland. The large-scale project focuses on limiting the impact of chronic complex diseases and improving health and welfare throughout the salmon lifecycle. Together, Mowi and the Roslin Institute will establish a world-leading framework to identify regions of the salmon genome associated with complex diseases, supporting the breeding of healthier stocks.
Mowi’s post-smolt strategy has also contributed to improved fish health, with the first-ever crop harvested within 11 to 14 months at sea.
Further investment includes a new broodstock hatchery at Ardessie near Ullapool, allowing Mowi’s entire egg supply to be sourced from broodfish grown in Scotland. We have also invested in a 6,500m³ wellboat – the largest operating in Scotland – enhancing freshwater treatment capacity to remove parasites such as sea lice and Neoparamoeba perurans, which causes amoebic gill disease.
Investing in people
Mowi Scotland employs 1,600 staff across the Highlands and Islands and Fife, raising, processing and marketing fresh Atlantic salmon for domestic and global export markets.
“We operate in some very remote and often fragile communities, and it’s vital that we recognise the commitment and passion of our employees,” says Ben Hadfield.
Apprenticeships remain central to workforce development. This year, four new apprentices joined Mowi’s farming operations in Uist, working towards National Progression Awards in Aquaculture and Modern Apprenticeship qualifications. They will gain hands-on experience across all stages of the salmon lifecycle, achieve commercial vessel endorsements, and develop skills for long-term careers in aquaculture.
The apprentices will work across Mowi’s Uist farms, including the new high-energy open sea farm at Stulaigh South in South Uist. The site will create seven new jobs, operate six 200m pens and hold a maximum biomass of 3,000 tonnes.
Beyond farming, Mowi offers more than 100 roles across freshwater and seawater operations, fish health, environmental regulation, sales and marketing, logistics, finance, IT and human resources.
Supporting communities
Mowi actively supports the communities where we operate, with employees volunteering across sports clubs, mountain rescue, coastguard and fire services.
Community initiatives range from beach cleans and nursery equipment donations, to the Mowi Salmon Wagon attending events across Scotland and Ireland to raise funds for local causes.
A 2025 highlight was the opening of An Faire Mor community housing on Colonsay, developed with Colonsay Community Development Company, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Argyll and Bute Council. With over 40% of housing used as second homes or holiday lets, the project provides much-needed accommodation for residents, families and essential workers, supporting the island’s long-term sustainability.
Supporting shinty and celebrating success
Mowi’s longest-standing community commitment is its support for shinty, which we have proudly sponsored for almost 40 years. Support covers senior leagues, women’s leagues, youth and disability shinty, international competition, national teams and the Shinty Awards, alongside continued funding for youth development initiatives.
In our 60th year, Mowi Scotland also celebrated major achievements, winning Producer of the Year at the Aquaculture Awards 2025, alongside Dave Young receiving the Unsung Hero award. MOWI Scottish Salmon Fillets (230g) earned a Great Taste star – the first fresh Scottish salmon fillet to do so – and later won the inaugural Consumer Choice Award from the MSC and ASC.
After 60 years, Mowi Scotland continues to deliver sustainable protein, meaningful careers and lasting community impact, with confidence looking ahead to 2026 and beyond.
