Seaweed Farming Feasibility Study for Argyll & Bute

This report has been commissioned by Argyll and Bute to determine the feasibility and
opportunities for establishing a seaweed cultivation industry in the region and the markets
potential growers could access. It does not cover the wild harvesting of seaweeds. As
highlighted in the Argyll and Bute Rural Deal and the MAXIMAR Science and Innovation Audit,
seaweed represents a new growth industry in the region. Seaweed cultivation as an industry
in Scotland is nascent, with only one company commercially cultivating seaweed (New Wave
Foods Ltd.), but others are establishing themselves in the rest of the UK (Islander Kelp Ltd,
Dorset Seaweeds and the Cornish Seaweed Company). The major driver for seaweed
cultivation in Scotland and Europe in the last 20 years has been for bioremediation of
aquaculture and marine biomass for bioenergy production. Interest in production is now
focused on food and higher value products markets. In order for the industry to move forward
in Argyll and Bute and for the economics to start to sift there needs to be innovation. This is
the same as any developing industry. Essentially the report describes the process of setting
up and running a seaweed farming business in Argyll and Bute from conception, cultivation,
processing to selling products to consumers. For each stage of the process the following
descriptions have been taken into account:
 Required activities and resources
 Available resources in Argyll and Bute
 Stakeholders
 Estimated costs
 Estimated timelines
 Other factors