Skip to main content
Hit enter to search or ESC to close

Irish Organic Salmon

25/01/2021

Annette Kenny, Seafood, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board

Annette article.PNG

 

Introduction

 

Irish organic salmon (Salmo salar) thrive in the wild pristine waters along Ireland's westerly coastline producing organic salmon since 1995. This, combined with knowledge and expertise that has been built up over the last 3 decades, has given the Irish salmon industry a reputation for producing the finest quality organic salmon. All salmon farmed in Ireland is produced using organic husbandry practices, certified to European organic regulations and standards such as AB Bio, Naturland and Bio Suisse.

 

Given that the producers of organic salmon operate an integrated environmental management system with a commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability, this makes salmon a preferred reference for major international buyers. Irish producers are members of Origin Green, which is a sustainability programme that operates on a national scale. Independently verified, it enables Ireland's producers to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets-reducing environmental impact, serving local communities more effectively and protecting the extraordinarily rich natural resources that our country enjoys.

 

International Demand

Ireland produces approximately 11,000 -15,000 tonnes of salmon per year, with exports worth

€100m representing approximately 10,000 tonnes. Chief markets include France, Poland, Germany,

UK and Belgium.  According to imarc, the global salmon market for 2019 reached 3.8 million tonnes, with moderate growth anticipated over the following 5 year period. Salmon is low in saturated fats and has a high nutritional value lending itself to a wide variety of dish formats e.g. grilled, poached, boiled etc.

 

References