January 25, 2016

Rodsel Group is investing €60 million, sourced from its “own resources” to establish an on-land salmon farm in Zamora, Spain, according to Undercurrent News.

Advances in on-land recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) technology developed in Israel have narrowed the production cost gap between sea-based and land-based salmon production systems, making such ventures much more economically viable.

“Until now salmon farming on the sea was cheaper, this is why the project has not been made before, but we have not the technology,” Santiago Rodriquez, director of Rodsel Group told Undercurrent.

Local authorities in the town of Zamora have granted the group 65 hectares of land, of which 25 will be used for the project, which is expected to produce 3,000 tons of salmon per year – the highest output potential in the world for such a venture. *

The first phase of the construction of the site will require an investment of €30 million to fund the establishment of the tanks and seven months of breeding. Subsequent stages will include the building of a cutting and smoking processing plant and a feed mill by 2019 which will result in a vertically integrated venture that will be selling its first land-produced salmon products by 2020.

*On the Rodsel Group website it is noted that the project will produce 8,000 tons per year.