Holyrood debates Scotland’s salmon industry
Friends and foes of Scotland’s salmon farming sector clashed in a fierce debate at Holyrood yesterday – but sometimes it was hard to tell who was which.
The Scottish Parliament was debating the report for the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on the salmon industry, published in January this year.
The report was a follow-up on recommendations made by the committee’s predecessor, the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) Committee in 2018. For the RAI Committee, Convenor Finlay Carson expressed disappointment that so many of the 2018 recommendations had not been actioned, and many of the problems identified in the earlier report still exist within the industry.
In particular, he said: fish mortality was up 25% which was above the level the RECC described as unacceptable (although Carson noted that in 2024 it had been brought down to 18%); more research was required into environmental impacts; more transparency was needed in reporting data, including mandatory reporting of mortalities for farmed fish; and sites deemed to have excessive mortality should be required to halt production.
Carson said it was disappointing that the Scottish Government had not agreed the extension of mandatory reporting especially as firms already record data, privately, on a farm by farm basis.
He also said that welfare standards should be placed on a regulatory basis rather than set out as voluntary “best practice”.
Carson acknowledged progress on making sea lice counts mandatory, and the expanded role for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in regulating waste and use of chemicals, but added there was still a lack of research into the benthic impacts of salmon farms.
He also said that progress on streamlining the consenting process had been too slow.
Carson concluded: “It is absolutely vital that the sector is able to overcome these challenges so we can continue to enjoy the benefits that salmon farming brings to the Scottish economy, and the jobs and economic developments that it provides for rural communities."
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands responded, outlining key actions the Scottish Government had taken following the REC report in 2028, including setting out a Vision for Scottish Aquaculture, introducing a new mandatory sea lice reporting requirement, extending the powers and responsibilities of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and commissioning the Griggs Report, which has led to the creation of a Consenting Task Force to help cut some of the red tape involved in gaining approval for new fish farms.
She pointed out the importance of the salmon industry which was responsible for £844m in exports, an estimated gross value added of £760m for the Scottish economy and employed around 2,500 people directly, and more indirectly.
But Gougeon added: “Economic benefit must not come at the expense of our environment.”
For the Green Party, Ariane Burgess said, “Scotland’s seas are being sacrificed for profit” and she dismissed the Scottish Government’s response as “empty words and half measures”.
She said there should be a pause on any new farms, or expansion for existing farms, until the industry cleans up its act.
Burgess predicted that unless action is taken the salmon farming industry will inevitably collapse under the pressure of global warming, leaving local communities with nothing.
She also called for more data on how many wrasse are being caught for use as cleaner fish, and from where. And said there should be heavy fines for escapes – as in Iceland.
In contrast, Fergus Ewing, Mairi Gougeon’s predecessor as minister, said: “Salmon farming is one of the greatest success stories of modern Scotland – but also one of the most undervalued.”
He said: “The Green Party are peddling matters that are simply untrue – and they are talking down Scotland. It’s time for a bit of truth about the value of the industry.”
He pointed out that critics liked to condemn the foreign ownership of salmon farms, but in other industries inward investment is heralded as a success.
For the Conservatives, Edward Mountain and Tim Eagle both said they were in favour of business, but had concerns over salmon welfare and the impact of salmon farming on wild fish.
Mairi Gougeon said she was “disappointed” that the RAI Committee had raised the question of revisiting the question of a moratorium on new or expanded fish farms should the committee not be satisfied with progress after 12 months.
She said: “There should not be any question of whether we want salmon farming in Scotland – because we do.”
She argued that a “pause” in growth could stifle research and investment, and actually hold back improvements in the industry.
The minister added the Scottish Government is working with “our partners” to see how the collection and presentation existing data could be improved and made more accessible. She stressed that simply making more data mandatory would not represent “proportionate” regulation.
On the cleaner fish issue, Gougeon said a number of improvements had been brought in since 2018 and the government is currently carrying out a fisheries assessment for wrasse. For welfare generally, the government is looking to see how this can be put on a better footing, she said.
Although the Scottish Government has not accepted all the findings of the RAI Committee, Gougeon said, “We are listening.”
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