Scottish salmon farm Loch Duart invited Ross, Skye & Lochaber MP Ian Blackford to its Dingwall fish packaging plant to discuss the staffing crisis facing businesses across the Highlands.
The SNP’s Westminster leader acknowledged the challenges the food and hospitality sector face in recruiting new staff.
Despite paying above the living wage and providing subsidised transport from local areas, Loch Duart is still struggling to fill all the vacancies it has at the plant.
The company now employs over 160 people across Scotland in the Western Isles, Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty.
Russell Leslie, processing director at Loch Duart Dingwall, said: “It was a good opportunity for the SNP Westminster leader to come to the site and see first-hand the struggles the company, like others, faces in recruiting staff - it also gave us the chance to highlight the need for more to be done to ease labour shortages across Scotland.
“The Loch Duart processing plant is currently turning away opportunities because we are unable to recruit locally.”
After spending £2m buying and refurbishing the 50,000 sq ft factory in 2020, it now has the British Retail Consortium's ‘AA’ Grade certification.
Blackford commented: “The company has ambitions to grow and be an integral part of the local economy, but it is clear to me that it is being held back by inflexible immigration policies that are hampering the ability of the company to recruit foreign workers to complement the current locally based workforce.
“I will be seeking a meeting with the UK Government ministers to push for a relaxation of rules to allow overseas workers to come and work for Loch Duart to support the company in its growth ambitions.“
Loch Duart produces more than 6,000 tonnes of salmon each year, from its farms in Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides.
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