Funding for live fish grading systems used to size stock through the growing cycle, from hatchery fry graders to in-pen harvest grading.
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Yes. Graders are funded as aquaculture equipment, assessed on the farm business and its stocking cycle rather than on any broad asset value. New machines from recognised manufacturers are the straightforward case; used graders change hands within the industry and can be funded where their origin is documented. The point to be aware of is that grading equipment is highly specific to species and size range, so a machine set up for salmon smolts is of no use to a trout hatchery grading fry, which narrows the resale market considerably and affects how funders view it.
Used kit: Yes — used graders trade within the industry and fund where the maker, species configuration and service record are documented.
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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).
Grading systems go to the small group of funders that genuinely understand aquaculture, and the underwrite is a business one. Lenders look at biomass, the stocking and harvest cycle, licence and consent position and the processor relationships behind the farm. On the asset, they recognise that a grader is calibrated to a species and size band and that the British market for any given machine is a handful of operators, which makes resale thin and slow. Where grading is done from a barge or service vessel, the equipment may also need to be considered alongside the vessel it works from, and any existing marine finance over that boat has to be established first.
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 |
|---|---|
| Vaki Micro Grader | In-pen and tank fish grading unit |
| Vaki Bioscanner fish counter | Counter and biomass sensor |
| Faivre Helios 2 grader | Bar grader for live fish |
| Faivre roller graders | Roller grading unit for fry and smolt |
| Marel fish grading systems | Weight based grading line |
| Baader fish grading machines | In-line whitefish grading unit |
| Cflow in-pen grading system | On-site pen grading package |
| Optimar grading and sorting line | Vessel and shore grading line |
| Vaki dewatering and transfer chute | Dewatering chute for graded fish |
| Pisces Engineering fish graders | Freshwater farm grading equipment |
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Salmon and trout farms grading stock to keep growth even and reduce competition in the pen, hatcheries sizing fry and smolts before transfer, and restocking operations grading before delivery. The trigger is usually a welfare or performance issue from uneven stock, a move to a larger site, or the replacement of a manual grading process that has become a labour bottleneck at the busiest weeks of the year.
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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.
Yes, and that is usually the sensible structure since they are installed and commissioned as one system. A single schedule listing the grader, the counter and the transfer components keeps the paperwork simple and gives the funder a complete asset. Commissioning and operator training are normally quoted with the system as well.
It affects the resale view rather than the decision. A machine set for salmon smolts suits a narrow set of buyers, so funders take a modest view of recovery value. That is why the strength of the farming business matters more here than the specification of the machine.
Yes. Hatcheries and land-based units are assessed on their own contracts and stocking agreements. In some ways they present more simply than sea sites because the equipment sits in a building with controlled conditions rather than being exposed to weather and salt. Building services, water treatment and power still sit outside the equipment agreement.
Not comfortably. Consents and licences determine whether the equipment can be used at all, so most funders want the position confirmed before drawdown. Order timing and consent timing are worth aligning early rather than hoping they meet. Suppliers often quote long lead times, so a conditional order placed alongside the consent application is the usual compromise.
Then two assets are in play. The grading equipment is funded as plant, but the barge is a vessel with its own title and possibly its own marine finance. We establish what sits over the barge before arranging anything that becomes fixed to it. That check takes days rather than weeks where the paperwork is already to hand.
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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.