Cage Net Finance

Spread the cost of cage nets from £8,000 to £200,000 with flexible finance options. HP, lease, or refinance

Can you finance a cage net?

Yes, cage nets are financed as a standard asset purchase, usually on hire purchase or a lease, with the machine itself acting as the security. UK prices typically run £8,000 to £200,000, and most deals are written over 24–72 months with a deposit of around 10–20%. Decisions typically take 3–5 working days. Used machines are financeable too, usually with a shorter term.

Typical Cost

£8k – £200k

Approval Speed

3–5 working days

Faster for like-for-like replacements

Rates From

4.5% APR

What would a cage net cost per month?

Cage Net price (ex VAT) £50,000

Deposit 10%

Agreement term 60 months

Annual interest rate 9%

Balloon payment £0

Your estimate

Indicative only. Not a quote and not an offer of finance.

Pre-filled with a typical cage net price. Indicative only, not a quote.

Finance options

Hire Purchase (HP)

Rate: From 4.9% APR
Term: 24–72 months
Deposit: 10–20%
Ownership: Yours at the end
Best for: Fish farms wanting to own the equipment outright

Finance Lease

Rate: From 4.5% APR
Term: 24–72 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return or buy (balloon payment)
Best for: Tax-efficient, claim 100% of payments against profit

Operating Lease

Rate: From 5.2% APR
Term: 24–48 months
Deposit: None required
Ownership: Return at end
Best for: Replace nets on a rolling cycle without capital outlay

Representative example

On a purchase price of £50,000: a 10% deposit of £5,000, then 48 monthly payments of £1,055 at 5.9% APR representative (fixed). Total amount payable £55,640, including the deposit. The rate you are offered depends on your business and the asset.

What buyers actually specify

Guide prices for sizing a finance agreement, not quotes. Manufacturers in this market mostly price on application, so where a current UK list price could not be confirmed the row describes a specification class rather than naming a model. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.

Machine or specification	Guide price	Type
Predator/Containment Net (single cage, small site class)	£8,000 – £20,000	Containment Net
Grow-Out Cage Net (mid-scale cage, coated or copper-alloy class)	£20,000 – £50,000	Grow-Out Net
Large Offshore Cage Net (high-energy site class)	£50,000 – £120,000	Offshore Cage Net
Full Cage and Net System Replacement (multi-cage site class)	£100,000 – £200,000	Cage and Net System

Tax benefits

Cage nets are moveable plant, anchored at a site rather than fixed into any building or structure, and generally qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), letting an operator deduct the full cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase, up to £1,000,000, subject to the normal AIA rules. HP gives access to capital allowances directly; lease payments are normally deductible from profits. Because a net is moored rather than built into the seabed or a fixed structure, it keeps the same moveable plant treatment as other farm equipment even where it remains at one site for its whole working life.

Market context

Cage nets are bought by finfish farms operating under a site licence and seabed lease or mooring agreement from the relevant marine and environmental authorities, and it is that licence and lease, setting where and how much stock a site can hold, rather than the net itself, that is usually the binding constraint on production. Net specification, mesh size, coating and breaking strength, is chosen to suit the exposure of a specific site, with offshore and high-energy sites needing a stronger and more expensive net than a sheltered inshore location. Because a net sits in seawater continuously and is exposed to biofouling, wave action and UV degradation, working life is generally shorter than for comparable equipment used on land, and replacement is driven mainly by net integrity and predator-proofing performance rather than a fixed age. A modest used market exists for nets removed from a lower-energy site and reused elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Does my site licence and lease affect the finance I can get?

It can. A lender assessing a cage net application will often ask about a site's licence and seabed lease or mooring agreement, since this sets the maximum stocking level and site exposure the net has to be specified for. A stable, long-held licence generally strengthens the investment case. It's worth having the relevant paperwork, licence, lease or supply contract ready to share with a lender, since this is usually one of the first things they ask to see.

How often are cage nets typically replaced?

There is no fixed replacement age; timing depends on net integrity, biofouling and predator-proofing performance, which are checked through regular inspection rather than a set calendar. A high-energy offshore site will usually replace nets more frequently than a sheltered inshore location because wave action and UV exposure accelerate wear. Because condition varies so much with how hard a site's equipment works, it's worth building an inspection routine that flags wear well before a failure forces an unplanned replacement.

What deposit do I need?

For hire purchase, most lenders ask for a 10-20% deposit. Finance leases and operating leases often require no deposit, which suits a farm replacing nets on a rolling maintenance schedule rather than as a single large purchase. A larger deposit reduces the monthly payment on the higher-cost offshore and full system replacement options. It's worth discussing your preferred deposit level with a broker before applying, since the right figure depends on your own cash flow and how quickly you want the remaining balance cleared.

Can I finance nets for a whole multi-cage site at once?

Yes. Many lenders offer package finance covering nets for several cages under a single agreement, which suits a full site replacement or a new site build rather than buying nets one cage at a time. Funds can usually be drawn down against each net as it is delivered and fitted, which fits how a multi-cage replacement is normally scheduled around stock movements and weather windows.