Independent salmon producer Loch Duart enlists Ross MP Ian Blackford in fighting food sector 'recruitment crisis' that is holding back growth
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A COMPANY with a state of the art Dingwall base that prepares salmon for some of the world's leading chefs and restaurants is facing a recruitment crisis.
After a visit to independent salmon farm Loch Duart's Dingwall packaging plant, Ross MP Ian Blackford is to highlight the issue facing the food production sector.
The 50,000 sq.ft plant was bought and refurbished to the tune of £2m by the firm which now employs over 160 people but is now "turning away opportunties" because it can't get enough staff.
Despite paying above the living wage and providing enhanced conditions and subsidised transport from local areas, Loch Duart is still struggling to fill all the vacancies it has at the plant.
Processing director Russell Leslie said the MP's visit gave Loch Duart the chance to highlight the need for more to be done to ease labour shortages across Scotland.
He said: “We are rightly proud of the exceptional standard to which we can now process and package our salmon, due to the skill of the Dingwall factory team. There are real opportunities for development in jobs like those at our Dingwall factory.”
Mr Blackford said he was delighted to be updated on the success of Loch Duart's Dingwall operation. He said: "The company has ambitions to grow and be an integral part of the local economy but it is clear to me that [it] is being held back by inflexible immigration policies that are hampering the ability of the company to recruit foreign workers to complement the current locally based workforce.
“I will be seeking a meeting with the UK Government ministers to push for a relaxation of rules to allow overseas workers to come and work for Loch Duart to support the company in its growth ambitions."
