Oban Times From Our Files - 13.3.25

TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO

Thursday March 16, 2000

New owner in pipeline for Hydro Seafood

 

Scotland’s salmon farming industry is in line for a shake-up with the news that the company which bought fish farm firm Marine Harvest McConnell now plans to take over another major player in the marketplace.

 

It was revealed this week that Dutch-based multinational Nutreco has entered ‘final and exclusive’ negotiations for the acquisition of Hydro Seafood, Norsk Hydro’s international salmon production and sales activities.

 

The new ‘super-company would be the biggest in the Scottish salmon farming industry with a combined production of 49.1 per cent of the Scottish farmed salmon market.

 

Both firms already have processing plants and farms across the West Highlands.

 

Marine Harvest’s processing plant is based in Fort William while the Hydro Seafood plant is based at South Shian.

 

The two companies have a combined workforce of over 1,000 and the takeover is not expected to result in redundancies.

 

A Nutreco spokesman said: ‘The company has no plans for any reductions.’

 

Marine Harvest currently employs over 730 people across Scotland while Hydro Seafood has more than 330 workers.

 

The deal, expected to be finalised early next month, will be subject to approval by the Norwegian authorities.

 

Nutreco’s chief operating officer Wout Dekker said the move was an important new step in Nutreco’s strategy ‘to further increase our presence in the salmon value chain’. 

 

Value added products such as fillets, steaks and portions are now seen as becoming increasingly important for the retail industry.

 

‘The acquisition of Hydro Seafood will enable us to build a premier, truly integrated international salmon production, sales and marketing business,’ he said.

 

Nutreco Aquaculture managing director Hans den Bieman added: ‘Through Hydro Seafood we are able to build a strong marketing and sales organisation for value added salmon products worldwide.’

 

Asbjorn Reinkind, Hydro director, said: ‘We are excited to have Nutreco as the new owner of the company.

 

‘Nutreco has shown a long-term commitment to the Norwegian aquaculture industry and we look forward to strengthening the further development of the sales and marketing activities of Nutreco’s global salmon business.’

FIFTY YEARS AGO

Thursday March 13, 1975

Plan for new postal addresses meets growing opposition

 

Opposition to the Scottish Postal Board’s proposal to introduce new postal addresses based on the new Regions which will come into being on May 15 is now intensifying and growing in volume.

 

And it was announced on Monday that a deputation from Argyll County Council’s convener’s committee will meet the controller of the Scottish Postal Board this week in an attempt to persuade the board that the proposals should be abandoned.

 

Under the new arrangement the major part of Argyll, which is to form part of the Strathclyde Region, would be known for the purposes of a postal address as ‘West Strathclyde’ while the more northern area, including Ballachulish and Ardnamurchan, which is to go into the Highland Region, would become known as ‘West Highland’.

 

The decision to seek a meeting with the controller of the postal board was made at a special meeting of the committee held in Lochgilphead last week at which members considered a letter from the head postmaster seeking the views of the county council on the proposal.

 

Colonel James Taylor, county convener, indicated that the county clerk had been in touch with the controller of the Scottish Postal Board who had stressed that no decision had yet been made by local authorities, and who had also given a firm assurance that no decision would be made until the views of postal users were known.

 

The members were unanimously opposed to the suggestion that Argyll should be dropped from the postal address and agreed to make representations for the retention of Argyll for all parts within the present county.

 

It was felt that the existing postal codes would obviate any confusion which the postal board thought might arise as a result of local government reorganisation.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

Saturday March 14, 1925

A champion boy piper

 

Although only 16 years of age, Ian C. Cameron has gained many prizes for pipe playing.

 

He won the challenge shield presented by Lamont of Lamont for Junior competition at the Cowal Gathering, Dunoon, last August, the Cowal Gold Medal also forming part of the prize.

 

At last year’s Inveraray Gathering, he won the Ian Douglas Campbell cup competed for by Junior Pipers.

 

The promising young player received his tuition from the late Nicol MacKay, Bowmore, Islay, and from Pipe Major William Ross, one of the foremost pipers of the day.

 

Colonsay News

 

Recently the weather has been changeable, periods of storm alternating with days of comparative calm. There has been little frost, just a slight appearance of it in the morning on one or two occasions. While the rainfall has sometimes been heavy there have been periods when the ground dried up.

 

Dry frosty weather, as experienced in the past, has not occurred in recent times. Now the winters are mild with heavy rainfall. The change in weather conditions has favoured the increase of insect pests and the prevalence of disease such as liver fluke in cattle and sheep.

 

Winter storms have been dislocating our steamer and telegraphic services, making it impossible for anyone to know when to expect the arrival of the boat and thereby causing much waste of time to the community and also considerable loss in perishable goods. A regular steamer service is a vital importance in doing business with people on the mainland. With improved weather conditions regular communication will follow as a matter of course.

 

Although the weather was not favourable for the ingathering of last season’s crop most people are better off for winter keep for their stock than they were the previous year. Crops were generally very good except on heavy or badly drained land. With the ordinary cultivation swedes and turnips up to 11 lb in weight were taken off the fields in Kiloran, Machrins and Gavard, and possibly other farms.