Sealord opens in UK

Sealord is set to open a new $9.3 million fish processing factory in northern England to meet growing demand from its biggest British customer, supermarket chain Waitrose.

The development will create up to 40 new jobs at the main British production site, Caistor, a Lincolnshire market town 25km outside Grimsby, one of England's traditional fishing ports.

Keith Brown, managing director of Sealord UK, told a fishing news website, fishupdate.com, it was "the Rolls-Royce" of fish processing plants.

The 2229sq m factory will be devoted to producing breaded products exclusively for Waitrose and will greatly increase the current production capacity.

The existing breaded plant will then be transferred to the production of chilled fish-based ready meals, also for Waitrose.

Brown, formerly a famous local footballer who was a Grimsby Town striker in the 1970s, said: "This new development is an expression of faith by our New Zealand owners."

After leaving professional football, Brown went into the fish processing industry and carved out a successful career in seafood. He is now managing director of Sealord in Britain.

The plant is expected to start production next month.

An opening ceremony will be held with guests from Sealord in New Zealand and probably a visit by the New Zealand High Commissioner, Jonathan Hunt.

Sealord moved to Caistor seven years ago, starting with a staff of 30.

It has expanded hugely, mainly thanks to expansion within Waitrose and to increasing demand for seafood.

The site will employ more than 160 staff when the new development starts.

Sealord is served by land-based processing plants based in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the Americas as well as Caistor.

It also has factory fillet trawlers which cut and freeze fillets within hours of being caught.

Its New Zealand wetfish plants process deep-sea fish such as orange roughy, hoki, ling, hake and squid, and it has joint ventures or work with plants in Australia, China, Asia and the Americas.