DFDS is the largest provider of transport services to Scottish salmon.
DFDS Scotland General Manager Mick Devine told SalmonBusiness that salmon services are still running to main markets and processors in the UK and the continent from Scotland.
“We are still providing services as we’ve done in the past but has had to minimise risk by sending people from administration home but we have enough staff in the warehouses,” he said.
Tonnes of salmon from Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, The Scottish Salmon Company and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland leave DFDS’ depot in Larkhall, Scotland, every day. The Larkhall Chilling Facility has 7,100 square feet of coolers and two blast freezers for 42 pallets of seafood at a time.
“We cover the country but we’ve had to reduce some service in for some areas such as Cornwall,” he said.
Devine explained that it has capacity at the moment: “Space has never been an issue. We’ve got chilled and frozen and we are getting more ambient space”.
He explained that he spoke to the NHS who asked if they needed help with procurement while they were doing salmon runs in its refrigerated trailers but health authorities did not need it right at this moment.
Despite Europe shutting its borders to halt the coronavirus, salmon is still getting through. “Salmon comes under key produce and supplies are running to Poland every night. We’ve tried to operate as normal as we can be given the circumstances,” added Devine.
