ESTONIA
to the factory. They are stored in two 50- m3 silos. The production facilities cannot use frozen fish, but they can use thawed material; fresh by-products and heads and guts change the production parameters. Also, they cannot yet use salmon by-products. Mart Undrest says that a current focus is on balancing the effects of different types of raw material on the production.
Substantial plans to future products
Mart Undrest, managing director of the Estonian Fish Producers Organisation
We know that not everything will go smoothly in the beginning. Now, we are fine tuning.” And he acknowledges that changes and upgrades to increase efficiency are necessary.
A fishmeal production plant is a sophisticated factory that needs staff with the requisite technical background to operate it.
Finding funding to continue The establishment of the plant was supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund with up to EUR6m from its 2014– 2020 measure to support joint investments in the processing of fisheries and aquaculture products. The rest of the investment was financed with the association’s own money and loans. To cover the increased costs caused by additions to the original plan, the Central Association of Estonian Fish Producers have had to increase their bank loan limits, owners have put in more money, and funds and foundations have been approached for increased contributions.
A small start – substantial plans In the first phase, two lines with a capacity of 150 t each are in
production. If everything goes well, a third line will be added in the future. The team of 25, with six office staff, should be sufficient if a third line is added. The association will probably use the sales teams of the other organisations or partners. The equipment is from the Danish firm of Haarslev Industries A/S, which also supervised installation of pipes and electricity. During start-up, production has been minimal, but the plan is to process 30–40,000 t of raw material, finally producing 5–6,000 t of fishmeal and 2,500 t of fish oil annually. The factory’s product is not sold as a brand but as a commodity in 1,000 kg bags, which are small compared with the output of large factories, which fill whole vessels. Logistics from the port to the isolated factory have been resolved. The landed fish are pumped directly from the vessel to tank trucks for transport
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In the first phase, production will be limited to fishmeal and oil. Later, other products may be added, such as aquafeed and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. A dioxin-cleaning plant for fish oil is also being considered. Because the EU has set limits for the maximum dioxin content of fresh fish, fish oil, and fishmeal, the fish oil producing industry might find it necessary to purify its product. The main problem with dioxins is their unique chemical stability. Once ingested by living organisms, dioxins are stored in the fatty tissues for a long time. Because they accumulate, their concentrations increase as they move up the food chain, exposing top predators and humans to the highest levels of contamination. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, applied for in autumn 2018, should be finalised by the end of summer 2019. Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany are applying together for certification for sprat and main basin herring. For the Estonian producers, certification is less important for markets in the east, but the importance grows as their reach stretches west to the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and possibly beyond. &VSPl TI .BHB[JOF
13/06/19 9:16 AM