Ridley Corporation Limited (RIC) today announced the signing of a new three year feed supply agreement with Clean Seas Ltd effective from December 2009. The agreement covers the supply by Ridley Agriproducts’ Aqua-Feed division of a complete range of winter and summer feeds for the Clean Seas South Australian kingfish farming operations based at Port Lincoln, Arno Bay and Whyalla. Ridley has been awarded primary feed supplier status under the new agreement which replaces the previous three year arrangement which expired in November.
Specific details of the agreement remain confidential, however the committed volume under the agreement represents a significant manufacturing tonnage for Ridley and the majority of Clean Seas’ feed supply requirements. This volume, coupled with the incremental salmon volumes associated with the new Tassal agreement announced on 25 November 2009, will ensure a substantial throughput at Ridley’s new Inverell facility, which was recently commissioned in November of this year.
Clean Seas is the largest Australian-based producer of farmed kingfish, and is consequently a major domestic user of pelleted aqua-feeds. For Clean Seas, the agreement provides surety of availability and quality of supply for its primary farming input.
Clean Seas, which has recently completed a successful capital raising, is also a worldfirst, global pioneer in the quest to close the life cycle and produce aquaculture-bred Southern Bluefin Tuna. Ridley, through its strategic technology partnership with Japan’s Hayashikane Sangyo Co. Ltd., has already developed a biologically and commercially proven pelleted feed range for this species, whose ocean numbers are dwindling with alarming rapidity. Ridley continues to work closely with Clean Seas to ensure that a sustainable tuna feed solution is available to support the full life cycle aqua-culture of this precious tuna species.
Tags: Clean Seas Tuna, CSS, New contract, RIC, Ridley Corporation
