Category: News

On 14 November, the EFTA Court ruled that the Icelandic authorities were not allowed to ban the import of fresh meat and eggs and products from unpasteurised milk from Europe to Iceland. It is clear that this ruling will have a significant impact on Icelandic agriculture. 

The Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI) and the Icelandic Farmers' Association (BÍ) invite to an open meeting in Hvanneyri on Friday 24 November at 14:00 - 16:30 in Ásgarður.

It is important that the discussion on this issue is based on a professional basis. AUI and BÍ therefore convene an open meeting to discuss the court's conclusions and its possible effects. The meeting is open to everyone as long as space allows. Coffee will be served during the break.

How do you want your meat?   

An open meeting between AUI and BÍ in Hvanneyri on the occasion of the EFTA Court's ruling on the import of fresh meat and eggs and products from unpasteurised milk.

• 14:00 - 14:10    Sentence - Sæmundur Sveinsson, Rector of AUI
• 14:10 - 14:30    Imports of fresh agricultural products to Iceland - the situation and prospects - Sigurður Eyþórsson, CEO of BÍ
• 14:30 - 14:50    Import control - the role of MAST and the difference in control according to the origin of import - Þorvaldur H. Þórðarson, Director of Import and Export at the Food Administration 
• 14:50 - 15:10    Coffee break
• 15:10 - 15:30    Infectious diseases that can be transmitted through imported fresh agricultural products - Vilhjálmur Svansson veterinarian, University of Iceland Laboratory of Pathology at Keldur
• 15:30 - 15:50    Public health - effects on human and animal health - Karl G. Kristinsson, Chief Physician of the Department of Pathology at Landspítali
• 15:50 - 16:30    Discussions and questions

Further information can be obtained from Lbhí.

Matís, Nofima in Norway and Syntesa in the Faroe Islands are currently working on a project aimed at examining the impact of fisheries legislation on jobs and residence in Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands.

The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and is intended to provide basic information on the economic and social impact of fisheries legislation on the countries' fisheries, and especially on the more scattered settlements.

It is hoped that the results will be available by mid-2018 and will then be used by the Nordic Council of Ministers and other stakeholders to better understand the impact of fisheries legislation on residence in these countries.

Finally, you can get herring halibut from Margildur with a mild orange flavor under the Fisherman brand in the Hagkaup, Frú Lauga and Fisherman fish shop near Hagamel. The latest news is that Lithuania's first order for distribution in the Baltic States is ready for shipment.

Margildi has previously sold herring halibut to the United States and Norway with good reception. In recent years, Fisherman has built up a fun and powerful tourism industry in Suðureyri and now produces fish dishes and various food products under the Fisherman brand.

Margildi's herring oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D and E and has come out well in consumer testing due to its mild taste, as well as its natural stability. This summer, the herring halibut from Margild received the coveted iTQi "Superior Taste Award"Food Quality Award" where 135 international chefs and foodies agreed that herring halibut was a good food.

Margildi is an entrepreneurial company based in Matís' premises at Vínlandsleið, has developed a new patent-pending processing method, so-called rapid cold cleaning, which makes it possible to process fish oil for human consumption from pelagic species such as capelin, herring and mackerel. Margildi has been working on its innovation for several years in collaboration with numerous parties, including Matís, with grants from AVS, Tækniþróunarsjóður and Uppbyggingarsjóður.

See more at: https://www.fisherman.is/

https://www.facebook.com/fishermaniceland/?fref=ts

Matvælastofnun carried out an audit of Matís' work processes, where Matís services the food industry and Matvælastofnun in measuring salmonella in poultry farming.

Evaluators from Matvælastofnun went through Matís' quality system, processes, staff training, handling of results and general work at Matís. It is safe to say that Matís passed the audit with flying colors and did not receive any correction requirements. The audit shows that Matís 'staff is well trained and Matís' quality system is well done, but Matís is also accredited for these measurements. 

The report from the audit

This year's Fisheries Conference will be held on 16-17. November in Harpa. The conference is now being held for the eighth time and has grown every year, as it is an important forum for everyone who works in the fisheries sector to strengthen connections and co-operation within the industry.

You can register until November 15.

Further information

An advanced equipment option, FlowCam, was recently purchased from Fluid Imaging Technologies and installed in the MRI's environmental laboratory. The basic unit of the device is a microscope and a high-definition camera, which produces particles that flow past the lens in a special flow cuvette. The flow is controlled by a built-in computer, which also uses software to analyze and classify digital images according to a selection of defined images.

The purchase of equipment was funded by the Director of Infrastructure Rannís. The equipment is useful for the analysis of floating algae in a collaborative project between the Marine Research Institute and Matís, Microbes in Icelandic waters (MIME). 

See more

This news first appeared on the website of the Marine Research Institute.

At a meeting on increased value creation in agriculture, held in Hvanneyri on increasing the value of agricultural products, held by the Association of Young Farmers, the Agricultural University of Iceland and Matís recently, it was discussed how relatively simple short-term measures can have a positive long-term effect.

There was a lot of talk about transferring knowledge and methodology from the fisheries sector in the light of the experience of the Increased Value of the Seafood Support Fund (AVS) and the Technology Development Fund and adapting it to agriculture. As previously stated, the value of exported marine products compared to landed catch has increased as a result of a systematic emphasis on increased value. There was also talk of announced cuts in funding for food research (12%), which is the responsibility of the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture and beyond the budgetary restraint target (2%).

There was talk of both private and public investment in research and development compared to what is happening in Europe, America and Japan.

Sæmundur Sveinsson, rector of the Agricultural University of Iceland, summed up his closing remarks and, after hearing from the candidates, he thought that no matter what the government does, we will have a government that intends to have a strong agricultural university and a strong Matís, which are two key factors necessary to strengthen food production and its value in Iceland.

It is clear to most that incredible progress has been made in the Icelandic fisheries sector. Now that major technological revolutions are taking place in the entire food production chain, there is no end in sight to this progress. Over the past 30 years, the Icelandic fisheries sector has reduced its emphasis on quantity and increased its emphasis on quality, which yields more per kg of catch than before. The basis for such an increase in value can be found in improved utilization of catch. And in order to make better use of the catch, it is important to know the entire value chain and improve treatment at all stages of the chain. This is where research comes in.

Research in the fisheries sector

Research in the fisheries sector can be traced back to 1934, when the Icelandic Fisheries Research Institute was established, on the basis of which the Fisheries Research Institute was established in 1965 (Matís from 2007). Important guardians of this journey are the establishment of the School of Fisheries around 1970, the beginning of food science teaching at the University of Iceland in 1978, the establishment of the University of Akureyri's fisheries program in 1990 and occasional funds that supported research.

Establishment of a research fund in the fisheries sector

The most important steps in recent years were the establishment of the AVS Fisheries Research Fund in 2003, which is responsible for increasing the value of seafood, and the Rannís Technology Development Fund the following year. The rulers of the time took serious suggestions that progress was needed in this area, and with the introduction of the funds, the collaboration of researchers with companies in the fisheries sector has increased significantly and the number of educated individuals in the industry has increased. The result may sound amazing. Through targeted research, value creation has increased so dramatically that it is measured in the tens of billions. For example, in the first years, all mackerel was smelted, but with the results of research, there was an increased understanding of how best to treat mackerel so that it would be an excellent product for human consumption. Icelanders were told that this was not possible, but instead of agreeing that mackerel caught in Iceland was only used for feed production, the result was that the value of mackerel is now around ISK 20 billion a year.

Catch handling - do not make gold out of shit!

Catch management is a key factor when it comes to increased utilization. Knowledge of treatment comes from research. Bleeding, washing and cooling and other handling of catches must be carried out properly. The same principle applies to all vessels in the Icelandic fleet and that principle is high-quality bleeding and cooling and even more cooling of the catch; the bleeding and cooling of the catch must be properly handled - always! The Icelandic fisheries sector does not intend to compete in the market for quantity but for the quality of the catch. Such thinking is especially important when it comes to exploiting the limited resources that the sea holds. Sustainable utilization of marine and water resources, in the blue bioeconomy, is necessary for us Icelanders. Research supports that this is done in the best possible way. 

Not rubbish but valuable extra ingredients

The chain reaction in the fisheries sector, with a value chain approach, has had an effect; it is easier to get a good price for raw materials that have been handled with care. What the improved treatment has yielded are the opportunities to exploit what has historically been underused. Today, there is a great deal of value creation in companies that follow developments in the fisheries sector in general, for example in parties that are working with so-called additional raw materials, but in order to utilize them, it is necessary that the raw material quality is good; bleeding and cooling are key. We know this because of research that has been conducted in recent decades.

Value creation is key

Iceland is a land of opportunities in the sustainable utilization of clean nature, for example in the production of healthy food, active biocides and a positive experience of consuming Icelandic food. Matís works on a variety of projects in the food industry where the emphasis is on innovation and value added, and the company has been at the forefront of increased value creation from seafood. The value of each tonne of fish caught has increased by 145% from 2003, until 2016. This increase did not happen by itself, but by connecting science, business, entrepreneurs and the educational community. Matís has, in collaboration with the University of Iceland and other universities, linked science and the daily subjects of companies in 23 doctoral projects and 64 master's projects as part of larger research projects. Matís' experts facilitate the utilization of the results of scientific research and bridge the gap between companies and universities. No matter how we look at things, a key element in contemporary value creation and for the future is the interplay of science and the practical challenges of business. The co-operation has brought us great economic benefits, it has been strengthening and has all the potential to strengthen even more. 

Here are some examples of Matís' participation in the Icelandic fisheries sector

• Anchor - Packing facilities.
• Atvinnuþróunarfélag Vestfjarði - Analysis of the competitiveness of the Westfjords fishing industry, assistance in organizing and conducting conferences on issues in the Westfjords economy.
• Surf - Process forecast for halibut, research on cod climbing, supercooling of fish fillets, development of processing deck on liners.
• Codland - Research and development cooperation, project assistance, measurement and testing, collagen physical analysis, Nordic connections, fish oil purification.
• Eimskip - Research that contributed to the development of the transport of fresh seafood.
• FISH - Cod processing forecast, light salting of fish fillets, process control of the processing deck of catfish vessels, supercooling, catch treatment of catfish, cooling of mackerel, research on cod climbing, ecological process analysis of fish products.
• Frostmark - Audits and testing of equipment.
• Grímur kokkur - Collaboration on enrichment of seafood, advice on production processes.
• HB Grandi - Cooperation in research and development work, including in the field of catch treatment and processing of pelagic fish, such as quality and stability of redfish products, process control of processing decks of catfish vessels, electric drying of fishmeal, stability of fresh fillet products in export.
• Icelandair - Research that contributed to the development of the transport of fresh seafood.
• Iceprotein - Training of employees, installation of methods, collaboration in projects related to food processing.
• Ísfélag Vestmannaeyja - Catch treatment, mackerel cooling and product stability.
• Kerecis - Facilities in Reykjavík and facilities in Ísafjörður at the beginning of operations, research on the properties of cod skin.
• National Association of Small Boat Owners - Catch Management; bleeding, bleeding, washing and cooling - teaching materials, instructions, scripts and courses, the Beautiful Fish initiative, value creation from grayling.
• Laxá - Development of feed for aquaculture.
• Fish oil - Studies on the variability and stability of cod climbing, quality classification of liver.
• Marel - Various collaborations, including on automatic bone cutting of whitefish fillets, development of measurement technology, pre-shredding of fillets, presentations at Whitefish ShowHow.
• Polygons - Facilities, advice, analysis of properties and stability of fish oil, installation of marketing material.
• Oddi hf. Development of processing processes for the production of salted fish, ecological process analysis of fish products.
• Prentsmiðjan Oddi - testing of packaging.
• Primex - Development manager training, collaboration in research and development projects regarding the utilization of Primex products to extend the shelf life of fresh fish.
• Reiknistofa fiskmarkaðanna - assistance with improved working methods in fish markets and participation in the needs analysis of the auction system.
• Samherji - Crop processing forecast, catch treatment and processing of pelagic fish, especially mackerel, development of packaging production and transport of fresh seafood, supercooling of fish fillets.
• Association of companies in the fisheries sector - Cooperation on information on the nutrient content of Icelandic seafood.
• Herring processing - Catch processing of mackerel and product stability, processing development of capelin roe, mackerel fillets, redfish, supercooling of pelagic fish, improved utilization of by-products of pelagic fish, product safety, filleting of herring.
• Skaginn 3X - Filtrex equipment, Rótex equipment, supercooling, development of processing processes in catfish as well as pelagic fish, freezing of pelagic fish.
• Skinney Þinganes - Development of processing processes for the production of salted fish, stability of mackerel products, lobster projects.
• Sæplast - Design and testing of packaging.
• Thor-Ice - Development of cooling processes with liquid ice, mackerel and catfish.
• True Westfjords - Development of a new production process for catfish fish oil, a study of the differentiation possibilities of fish oil based on fatty acid composition.
• Vignir G. Jónsson - Fish pearls, testing facilities for product development.
• Vinnslustöðin - Development of processing processes for the production of salted fish.
• Indicator - Cod processing forecast, process control for salted fish production, scientific assessment of the processing process and properties of new salted fish products, assessment of the effect of salting methods on the physical properties of products, development of processing deck on liners.
• Þorbjörn - Process management in salted fish production, scientific evaluation of the processing process and properties of new salted fish products, evaluation of the effects of salting methods on the physical properties of products.

And there is more!

The article above first appears in Fiskifréttir: http://www.fiskifrettir.is/…/hvers-virdi-er-starfse…/142433/

The research and development project T-KER is a collaborative project of Sæplast, Matís, the Iceland Innovation Center, the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri, ITUB and Icefresh in Germany.

The aim is to develop new transport tanks, which are intended for whole fish, fresh fillets and fillet pieces to begin with, but could easily prove useful for other fresh foods. The design of the new tanks, which are called twin tanks and are stacked in pairs, aims to improve the volume utilization in the back cargo by 60-75% and thereby reduce the transport cost in the back cargo by almost 40%. The tanks, which are expected to be 10-15 cm shallower than traditional 460 L fish tanks, are also intended to preserve fish quality and stacking safety as well or better compared to current tanks for white fish and disposable foam boxes for salmon. The positive environmental impact of the new pots is therefore due to both improved volume utilization in transport and increased use of recyclable packaging instead of disposable packaging.

There was a very good turnout at a meeting in Hvanneyri about the increased value of agricultural products offered by the Association of Young Farmers, the Agricultural University of Iceland and Matís last night. Representatives of the meeting announcers and representatives from all the main candidates for the parliamentary elections next weekend got on board. In the next few days, we will discuss the meeting and highlight the main things that took place there.

Many interesting points were made in the candidates' speeches and it seemed to everyone how to increase the value of agricultural products, but all the candidates agreed that innovation, research and development are the basic principles that must be present for increased value creation to take place in agriculture. . This is interesting in light of the fact that in next year's budget proposal and the fiscal plan for the next five years, the current Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture proposes that funding for Matís be cut by 12% or about 51 million. This is completely at odds with the policy of all parties to promote innovation in Iceland.

Ásmundur Einar Daðason from Framsóknarflokki said that he has followed the development of Matarsmiðja Matís all around the country over the years. He said that while there are plans for cuts, Matís would probably deal with those plans and prepare. At the same time, the company could not apply in a normal way and continue to work on the great projects that were going on all around the country. The cut would therefore be in stark contrast to the content of the meeting, increasing the value of agricultural products.