Funding for gutting, filleting, skinning and packing equipment used by fish processors and by growers taking product to market themselves.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes. Processing equipment is funded as food production plant, which puts it on firmer ground than most aquaculture assets because filleting and packing machines have a broader industrial buyer pool. New machines from established manufacturers are straightforward and used equipment trades more actively here than elsewhere in this sector. The thing to plan for is installation: a processing line is fitted into a food-grade building with drainage, power and hygiene requirements, and the building works are not fundable as equipment even though the line cannot run without them.
Used kit: Yes — used processing machines trade actively in the food sector and fund well where the maker, hours and hygiene condition are documented.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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).
This is the most conventional placement in the marine and aquaculture range, because food processing plant is understood by mainstream equipment funders in a way that cage nets and fish pumps are not. Lenders will assess the processing contracts, the throughput, the hygiene approvals and the premises position. Machines from recognised manufacturers hold value and can be resold into the wider food industry, which is a genuine advantage. Expect questions about the building: a line bolted down and plumbed into a leased unit raises access and removal issues, so a landlord waiver or confirmation of the lease term is often requested. Drainage, flooring and hygiene works remain site costs outside the equipment agreement.
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 |
|---|---|
| Baader 581 filleting machine | Automatic salmon filleting machine |
| Baader heading and gutting machines | Whitefish gutting and heading unit |
| Baader 51 skinning machine | Fillet skinning machine |
| Marel FleXicut waterjet portioner | Pin bone removal and portioning |
| Marel I-Cut 122 portioner | Waterjet fillet portioning unit |
| Curio C-2011 filleting machine | Whitefish filleting machine |
| Valka Cutter | X-ray guided fillet cutting machine |
| Multivac R 245 thermoformer | Vacuum packing and sealing line |
| Ishida weigh price labeller | Weighing and labelling station |
| Uni-Food Technic skinning and trimming line | Fillet trimming and conveying line |
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
Independent fish processors supplying wholesale and retail, salmon and trout growers integrating forwards into filleting and smoking, and coastal businesses adding value to a local catch instead of selling it whole at market. The trigger is usually a retail or foodservice listing that requires a consistent portioned product, or the arithmetic finally favouring in-house processing over paying a third party per tonne.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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.
Generally yes. Filleting and packing machines sell into the wider food industry rather than only to fish businesses, so the resale market is much broader. That makes mainstream equipment funders comfortable where they would decline a cage net or a feed barge. The funder will still want to see throughput and the contracts behind the spend.
No. Food-grade flooring, drainage, wall cladding and chilled rooms built into the fabric are property works. The machines, conveyors and packing equipment are the fundable assets, so keep the two budgets separate from the outset. Some funders will consider modular chill rooms supplied as equipment, so send us the supplier quotation and the split can be made properly.
It can, and it is best handled early. Where machines are fixed into a leased building, funders often want a landlord waiver confirming they can access and remove the equipment. Most landlords will sign one, but it takes time to arrange. Start that conversation with the landlord as soon as the equipment is specified.
Yes, and forward integration is common. The funder will look at the sales route as much as the equipment, so a listing, a wholesale agreement or an established direct trade makes the case considerably stronger than a plan to start selling once the line is running.
Yes, and that is the usual pattern. Lines grow machine by machine as throughput increases. Each addition can be its own agreement, and funders generally view a business that is expanding a working line more favourably than one buying everything at once. Conveyors and buffer tables added between machines can usually be included too.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
See everything we fund in boat and marine finance →
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.