Coldwater Salmon outlines plans for land-based salmon farm in Wiltshire.
Plans for a land-based salmon farm in southern England are beginning to emerge after Julian Connor, founder of Coldwater Salmon, posted an update on the project on LinkedIn.
Connor said the proposed facility, marketed as Avon Valley Salmon, will raise Atlantic salmon entirely on land at a site near Downton in Wiltshire using recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology.
According to earlier statements, the company plans to transfer smolt of around 500 grams from its facility in Galway, Ireland to the Wiltshire site once operations begin.
Connor has also claimed the project would have a capital cost of roughly £6 per kilogram of production capacity, compared with what he described as an industry average of around £30/kg.
The Avon Valley Salmon website says the farm will use a closed production system based on groundwater and biological filtration, with approximately 95 percent of water recycled during operation.
The project promotes its approach as an alternative to conventional sea-based salmon farming, stating fish will not be exposed to sea lice or marine pathogens and that antibiotics and chemical treatments would not be used.
The company says the Wiltshire facility would supply salmon raised close to UK consumers, reducing reliance on imported fish.
No production capacity or commissioning timeline has yet been formally announced.
The company says the project is led by founder and chief executive Julian Connor, with Nikki Loubser serving as chief financial officer. According to the Avon Valley Salmon website, the operational team includes farm managers Kevin Demondion and Christopher Valente, both described as former farm managers at a Swiss land-based salmon facility, while Junna Strelnikov is listed as head of administration, also previously working at the same Swiss operation.