At an event on 1 June 2006 , Deputy Environment Minister Rhona Brankin MSP presented the winners with their awards.

Listed below is the category criteria and what aspects of the winners' sites impressed the judging panel.

Best Kept Farm
Winner:
Loch Creran - Scottish Sea Farms Ltd

Criteria:
Efficient working practices – including use of equipment & technology
Quality assurance
Fish health
Organisation & team working
Well maintained cages & land bases
Care for the environment (feeding from sustainable resources, FCR, use of medicines)
Commitment to improvement & development
Relationship with local community

Scottish Sea Farm’s Loch Creran site illustrates the company’s commitment to best practice. Designation of Loch Creran as an SPA resulted in the consented areas being moved further away from the protected habitat. Equipment and technology is employed to benefit fish health, the environment and to maximise efficiency. Effective team working helps ensure the site is maintained, and operates at, the highest standard with demonstrable excellent environmental practices.

Best Community Initiative
Winner:
Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd

Criteria:
Impact on community
Input from company
Creativity

Marine Harvest’s Schools’ Education Programme won the award for its innovation, high degree of commitment from the staff and evidence that the programme had reached thousands of schoolchildren in over 100 schools around the Scottish west coast and Western Isles. The programme, which was first launched over 5 years ago, is ongoing with further development underway for 2006. Its objective is to inform, in a concise and pro-active way, what is involved in salmon farming.

Best Entrepreneurial Initiative
Winner:
Johnson Seafarms Ltd

Criteria:
Innovation
Farming method / improvement to harvesting process
Increased outputs
Higher sales
Improved margins
New markets
Sustainability

Winner Johnson Seafarms demonstrated a high degree of innovation and success in new markets with their move into farming organic cod with environmental sustainability at the core of the business strategy. They have worked very hard to build a market for a differentiated high value product and developed a unique brand which has been taken on by two major retailers.

Best Environmental Contribution
Winner:
Pan Fish Scotland Ltd

Criteria:
Working practices
Use of equipment
Feeding regime
Management techniques
Development plans – is it making a difference?

Panfish Scotland began a process of site rationalisation based on co-ordinated single year class stocking, several years ago. The process has resulted in the first full loch fallowing of Loch Fyne since fish farming started. Improved working practices and environmental performance have made a measurable difference to both environmental and business performance and now at the heart of the business.

The company has participated in one of two pilot relocation projects under the auspices of the location / relocation working group.

Salmon Farming Company of the Year

Two categories: small to medium under 4,000 tonnes p.a. and medium-to-large over 4,000 tonnes p.a.

Criteria
Efficiency
Sustainability
Customer relationships
Working practices
Improving product quality
Employment issues
Future plans
Quality assurance

Small-to-medium Winner:
Loch Duart Ltd

Loch Duart Ltd provided strong evidence of environmental sustainability at the core of a commercially successful business. The company demonstrated good relationships with customers. Their focus has been on the development of a differentiated niche product which achieves a significant price premium over higher volume producers.

Medium-to-large Winner:
Scottish Sea Farms Ltd

Winners of the over 4,000 t.p.a. category, Scottish Sea Farms, demonstrated an impressive level of efficiency and sustainability, along with strong evidence of good customer relationships and sound working practices. The company has a highly motivated, well trained and committed workforce with high levels of personal responsibility across the company.