Skye fish farm company warns of redundancies

Organic Sea Harvest has suspended its operations

A Skye-based fish farm firm says it is having to suspend production and make staff redundant.

Organic Sea Harvest said challenges it had faced developing new farms had exhausted its financial resources.

It said operations would cease at its existing farms and development of a new farm at Balmaqueen, Skye, would halt until refinancing of the business could be agreed.

The company said: "Our immediate focus will be on helping our people through this difficult time and, where possible, supporting them in finding alternative employment."

Organic Sea Harvest had to revise its plans for Balmaqueen before it could secure planning permission from Highland councillors last summer.

The company said it was the first new salmon farming business to have been created in Scotland for many years and had produced high quality salmon.

It added: "Despite these successes, the challenging and slow pace of the planning and regulatory system in Scotland has resulted in Organic Sea Harvest reaching the end of its financial resources.

"Sadly, the fallowing of our existing sites will result in redundancies in our workforce."