Ireland
The Hugh-Jones family have been farming high quality, sustainable shellfish since 1969, when David Hugh-Jones set out in his Transit van to realise his dreams of becoming an oyster farmer. Known for his stamina and determination, he travelled widely throughout the British Isles and extensively around the Irish coast looking for the perfect location, until finally finding it at Rossmore in southern Ireland, where he settled with his wife, Bridget.
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The Rossmore oyster beds are in an idyllic remote location, nestled in an enclosed warm inlet of Cork harbour and protected by fertile mud banks on either side, which ensure warm and shallow waters ideal for oyster breeding. A regular flow of nutrient-rich water guarantees a bountiful supply of food for our oysters to grow, and the unique conditions of the bed provide the ideal growing environment.
The Rossmore oyster farm is based near Cork, in southern Ireland, located in an unique eco-system that has been a natural home for oysters since the Neolithic times, as seen in the huge middens of oyster shells found around the shores.
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The Rossmore oyster farm is based near Cork, in southern Ireland, located in an unique eco-system that has been a natural home for oysters since the Neolithic times, as seen in the huge middens of oyster shells found around the shores. Our farm covers 10 hectares on the land, including our large packing shed and has seven depuration tanks. We have 22 man-made ponds for breeding, and 13Km of trestles in the sea, for nurturing young oysters.
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Known for his stamina and determination, he travelled widely throughout the British Isles and extensively around the Irish coast looking for the perfect location, until finally finding it at Rossmore in southern Ireland, where he settled with his wife, Bridget. The Rossmore oyster beds are in an idyllic remote location, nestled in an enclosed warm inlet of Cork harbour and protected by fertile mud banks on either side, which ensure warm and shallow waters ideal for oyster breeding. A regular flow of nutrient-rich water guarantees a bountiful supply of food for our oysters to grow, and the unique conditions of the bed provide the ideal growing environment.
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David soon established an innovative and successful native oyster breeding programme, and in 1987 also began producing rock oysters, using 22 man-made ponds to assist in their growth. His unique breeding system, combined with radical new farming techniques, and a strict adherence to excellent water quality, had immediate results: hundreds of tonnes of oysters were grown each year, and sold around the world.