Funding for land-based recirculating systems, from smolt hatcheries to full grow-out units, covering tanks, biofilters, pumps and the full water treatment circuit.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, though a recirculating aquaculture system is a project rather than a purchase and needs treating as one. The tanks, biofilters, drum filters, pumps and water treatment are fundable as equipment, assessed on the business and its offtake arrangements. What is not fundable is the building, the slab, the drainage and the incoming power, which on a RAS project are a large share of the total cost. That split surprises people more than anything else here, because the equipment quotation and the project cost are two very different numbers.
Used kit: Rarely — bespoke installed systems seldom transplant economically, though individual components such as drum filters and pumps can be funded second-hand.
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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).
RAS is the most capital-intensive corner of aquaculture and funders approach it as a project finance question dressed as equipment lending. They will separate what they can actually take security over — tanks, filtration skids, pumps, oxygen plant, monitoring systems — from the building works they cannot. They will look hard at the offtake: a smolt contract with a named producer transforms the case compared with a speculative venture. They also know the resale position is poor, since a bespoke RAS installed in one building rarely transplants economically to another, so security value is low relative to cost. Phased funding as each stage is commissioned is common and usually sensible.
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 |
|---|---|
| Billund Aquaculture RAS plant | Complete recirculating aquaculture system |
| AKVA group Land Based RAS | Land based grow-out RAS installation |
| Kruger Kaldnes MBBR biofilter | Moving bed biofilter package |
| Veolia Hydrotech drum filter | Mechanical drum filtration unit |
| Faivre circular grow-out tanks | Circular fish rearing tanks |
| Xylem Wedeco UV treatment | Ultraviolet disinfection stage |
| Atlantium hydro-optic UV unit | UV treatment for recirculated water |
| OxyGuard monitoring and alarm system | Water quality monitoring and alarms |
| Landustrie airlift and pumping package | Low head water circulation pumps |
| Aerzen degassing blower package | Carbon dioxide stripping blowers |
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Smolt producers supplying sea sites, land-based grow-out ventures producing trout, salmon or warm water species inland, research and restocking hatcheries, and established farms adding a recirculating unit to reduce dependence on river or borehole water. The trigger is usually a consent that limits water abstraction or discharge, a biosecurity requirement, or a buyer who wants year-round supply that an outdoor site cannot deliver reliably.
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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 it becomes part of the property. Slabs, drainage, insulated structures and the incoming power supply belong to the land rather than to movable plant, so they fall outside equipment finance. On a RAS project that can be a substantial share of the total spend.
Enormously. A contract to supply smolts to a named producer, or a wholesale agreement for table fish, gives the funder a visible route to income. Without one, a land-based venture is judged on projections alone, which is a much weaker position. Even heads of terms with a named buyer materially improves the conversation.
Usually yes, and it is often the right approach. Each stage can be drawn as it is delivered and commissioned, which matches funding to progress and avoids committing to the whole scheme before the first tanks are proven to run as designed. It also builds funder confidence as each stage performs to specification.
That is exactly what the funder is weighing. A bespoke system built into one building rarely moves economically to another, so recovery would likely mean selling components rather than the system. It is why the business case matters far more than the asset here. Standard components from mainstream suppliers hold value better than bespoke fabrication.
Yes, and smaller units are often easier because they use more standard components. Universities, trusts and restocking bodies are assessed on their own funding and grant position, which can present very differently from a commercial venture. Grant awards, research contracts and long-term restocking agreements all strengthen the case and are worth putting forward early.
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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.