Funding for pen nets, predator netting and cage mooring systems on salmon and trout sites, bought in sets rather than one at a time.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, but it is one of the hardest things in this sector to place and it is worth knowing why before you order. Cage nets are funded as aquaculture equipment, usually as a set covering several pens, and always against the farm business rather than the netting itself. New nets from established net makers are the norm. The honest difficulty is that a net has a working life measured in seasons, is site-specific in size and depth, and has effectively no resale value once used, so some funders treat it closer to a consumable than an asset.
Used kit: Rarely — used nets have essentially no market because they are cut to a specific pen and their certified life is already partly spent.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Nets sit right at the edge of what an asset funder will consider, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. They wear, they are cut to a specific pen size and depth, and a used net has no market, so a lender is effectively funding a working cost against the strength of the farming business. That means the case is built on biomass, harvest contracts, site consents and the operator’s record rather than on security. Some funders prefer to structure netting alongside a larger equipment package such as pens, moorings or a feed system, where the overall asset base is stronger. Moorings and anchoring are a separate matter again, tied to the seabed lease rather than to movable plant.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Egersund Net pen nets | Main containment pen net |
| Morenot predator nets | Seal and predator exclusion net |
| Garware Technical Fibres Sapphire nets | High strength copper free pen net |
| Badinotti aquaculture nets | Farmed salmon containment netting |
| Botngaard lice skirt | Sea lice barrier skirt |
| Egersund Net bird and top nets | Bird exclusion and top netting |
| Gael Force Marine mooring grid | Site mooring grid and bridles |
| Aqualine Midgard mooring system | Cage mooring and bridle package |
| Morenot net cleaning and repair service kit | Net washing and repair equipment |
| AKVA group Polarcirkel cage collars | Plastic pen collars and stanchions |
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Salmon and trout farm operators on the Scottish west coast, the islands and Northern Ireland renewing netting on a rolling cycle, and sites upgrading to heavier predator protection after seal or bird losses. The trigger is usually a net reaching the end of its certified life, a regulator or insurer requiring stronger containment after an escape, or a new site coming into production and needing a full set of nets before smolts can be stocked.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Because a net is closer to a consumable. It has a defined working life, it is cut to one pen size and once it has been in the water it has no resale market. Funders can still help, but they are lending against the farm business, not against the netting.
Often that is the best approach. Bundling netting into a wider package including cages, collars or a feed system gives the funder a stronger overall asset base, which usually produces a better outcome than trying to fund nets in isolation. It also ties the funding to one delivery and installation programme.
It can. Containment failures attract regulatory attention and affect insurance, so a funder will want to understand what happened and what has changed. A documented upgrade programme following an incident often reads better than a site with no history at all. Insurers and funders tend to ask the same questions, so prepare the answer once.
Usually not. Anchors, chain and grid systems are tied to the seabed lease and effectively become part of the site, so they are treated differently from the nets they hold. The distinction matters and is worth settling before the order is placed. Confirm with the supplier which items are quoted as nets and which as mooring gear.
It is a demanding case because there is no income until the first harvest. Funders look for production elsewhere in the business, the consent position and the strength of the operator. A single new site with no other trading behind it is very difficult. A joint venture with an established producer is sometimes the route that works.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.