All Norwegian farming permits corresponding to 17,330 tonnes of production capacity were sold during the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries auction closed on Tuesday. The total income was NOK 5,288,602,600.
The auction was held on June 24 and the minimum price was 170,000 kroner per ton in all production areas. The deadline for registration was June 14.
As WeAreAquaculture informed 10 days ago, the production capacity offer has fallen short of the 21,000 tons the Ministry forecast in March when it set the new aquaculture "traffic lights" for 2024.
"I am happy that many players have taken part in the auction, it has been a great willingness to bid. This shows a great demand for breeding permits," the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss expressed.
According to the Ministry, 55% of the auction proceeds are distributed to municipalities and county councils that involve aquaculture activities through the Aquaculture Fund. Additionally to this, there are the fixed price allocations and the entirety of the production tax.
On the other hand, Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum indicated: "The government has emphasized that the local communities and the community should be left with more of the income generated in the farming industry along our coast. The increased income can be used for school, elderly care, and other important welfare services for citizens."
The companies that bought capacity in the auction are:
Cermaq Norway Salmon AS
Holmøy Havbruk AS
Mowi Seawater Norway AS
Salmar Farming AS
Salaks AS
Nordlaks Havbruk AS
Lofoten Sjøprodukter AS
Gratanglaks AS
Lovundlaks Sjø AS
Sjurelv Fish Farming AS
Isqueen AS
Arnøy Salmon AS
Kleiva Fiskefarm AS
Øyfisk AS
Edelfarm AS
Nordly Innovation AS