Samherji receives temporary permit from Iceland's Environment and Energy Agency; Laugar fish drying plant resumes operations immediately
Iceland's Environment and Energy Agency has issued a temporary operating permit to Samherji, allowing its fish drying plant at Laugar in Reykjadalur valley to resume operations immediately; the plant's original permit was revoked in mid-September, and the new permit remains valid while the Northeastern Health Committee processes a permanent licence, for a maximum of 1 year.
Iceland's Environment and Energy Agency has issued a temporary permit to seafood company Samherji, allowing it to immediately resume operations at its fish drying plant at Laugar in Reykjadalur valley. The news was announced on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
The temporary measure remains valid while the Northeastern Health Committee processes a new permanent operating licence, with the permit set for a maximum term of 1 year. The plant employs about 20 people and is the largest workplace in the area apart from the municipal institutions themselves, handling the final processing stage of the company's commercial fishing catch.
The resumption follows the revocation of the original permit in mid-September by the Environmental and Natural Resources Appeals Committee. That ruling found that the local health committee did not have sufficient baseline data on surrounding water conditions when it issued the authorisation; it also made clear that there were no operational deficiencies on Samherji's part.
Under the new temporary authorisation, the seafood company must maintain strict and continuously updated wastewater monitoring while the administrative process is corrected.