Chief executives of ten companies with a combined turnover of 112 million euros will be making a study tour to Norway’s West Coast, in March, before moving to Oslo to join fellow professionals from all over the world at the fourth NASF.
Conference Director Jorgen Lund says: “We were delighted to have Irish Fisheries minister John Browne TD at last year’s conference, along with other Ministers, and this year it will be good to see such a strong Irish presence. I’m sure that they will find their visit useful, and of course they bring their own considerable expertise to our discussions,”
Among Irish seafood names at NASF 2009; Atlanfish, a leading processor of crab,mussels, oysters and mackerel, and which operates a €3.1 million euro, environmentally-friendly harvesting vessel. Marine Harvest Ireland supplies the Irish, European and North American markets with high-quality organic salmon; Lett Group’s Errigal’s two factories process shellfish and a pelagic range; Sofrimar deals in whelk, crab,scallops and lobster, and William Carr is a smoking specialist producing salmon, mackerel and trout. Also attending NASF will be the CEO’s of Connemara Seafoods, Good Fish Processing Carrigaline, Rockabill Shellfish, Seafood Processors and crab specialist Shellfish de la Mer from County Cork.
With 550 delegates from 25 countries at the 2008 conference, this Oslo- based event, and Fisheries Ministers of seven North Atlantic nations attending, the annual NASF has become one of the industry’s major meeting and networking venues.
A highlight attraction of the 2009 conference will be the European Seafood Retail Seminar, which will feature experts from leading names such as Carrefour, Marks and Spencer, Globus and Norgesgruppen making presentations and taking part in a panel debate.
Lund again: “This is a uniquely testing time for all major retailers, and it will be fascinating to hear how the European giants are planning to trade successfully through recession, and how they see demand patterns altering. This will really be ‘need to know’ stuff for suppliers, processors and traders, and I note that leading companies such as Youngs/ Foodvest and Birds Eye/Iglo are sending their key executives to the conference.”
The North Atlantic Seafood Forum runs on 4–5March. It is open to all professionals
