Visit by the British Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

On the 18th of April, George Eustice, the British minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food visited Bakkafrost together with Faroese authorities. Besides George Eustice, Poul Michelsen, the minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Høgni Hoydal, the minister of Fisheries in the Faroe Islands, were also part of the delegation. They hosted the official visit.

Regin Jacobsen, CEO of Bakkafrost, started the visit by welcoming the guests to the new office facilities located in Glyvrar. Then, it was time to have a small bite to eat before Regin had a prepared presentation for the party.

In the presentation, Regin showed the historical importance of the UK seafood market for both the Faroese society as well as Faroese companies. This is evident, as the UK market through the years has grown to be Bakkafrost’s fifth biggest market worldwide. Thus, it’s has been very important for Bakkafrost to keep a good relationship with its customers in the UK. This fact is not becoming less important in connection with the forthcoming Brexit. The Faroe Islands have been in a similar situation for many years, as the country is not part of the European Union. Based on these joint realities Regin mentioned that he believed the two countries could learn from each other and build an even closer and stronger connection in the future. George Eustice agreed on the importance of the past relationship and on further enhancing the relationship between the UK and the Faroe Islands in the future.

After the presentation, Regin Jacobsen took the group on a tour through Bakkafrost’s state of the art harvest and processing plant, where the British minister saw the process from the initial harvest to the final consumer product that is sold on markets throughout the world. The visit ended with a visit onboard the farming service vessel “Hans á Bakka” that transports live salmon from the farming sites to the harvest facilities.