Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 10 December 2013
10 Dec 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Fisheries Negotiations
We meet after what has been another eventful year for our important fishing industry.
We started this year by breathing a sigh of relief after the negotiations in December 2012, having avoided a further cut in the number of days at sea allowed to our vessels and having protected our vital North Sea cod quota. That soon gave way to increasing anxiety over the persistent and worrying scarcity of prawns in our waters, which lasted throughout the first half of the year.
We acted to bring the fleet through those tough times, with a jointly agreed action plan worth £6 million launched in the middle of the year. That included a £3 million hardship fund to help vessels that were suffering exceptional economic distress to get through an acutely bad patch, endured as a result of the dramatic fall in prawn catches that, as we all recall, was in the headlines.
Our fishermen are among the most resilient in the world. I am glad to say that, more recently, prawn catches have bounced back and catches of white fish have held up very well. Indeed, the industry’s dynamism was on display only last week when we saw more than 28,000 boxes of fish landed in Peterhead alone in a single week, which is one of the highest catches ever recorded in the past decade. In addition, Shetland has set—even though we have yet to reach the end of the year—a new annual record for the number of boxes of fish sold, with the figure heading towards 275,000 boxes for the year, which eclipses the previous high set in 2008 of more than 260,000 boxes. That shows how our fishermen continue to brave the elements to bring Scotland’s superb seafood ashore and help to feed not only Scots but populations around the world.
Scottish seafood cannot always compete on volume but, with its strong emphasis on provenance and sustainability, it produces the utmost quality, which overseas markets crave. That is why we are striving to expand opportunities overseas, driving up the value of Scottish produce and maximising the income for all those involved—from net to plate.
We are also supporting the industry closer to home. I am delighted to announce the latest package of awards under the European Fisheries Fund. This is the 11th round of awards under the EFF, supporting some 45 new projects with more than £3.1 million-worth of support, enabling investment of more than £11 million. Since the launch of the EFF in 2008, it has delivered an impressive £76 million of awards and £170 million of investment in Scotland.
We will make the most of the fund. However, Scotland receives only £46 million under the EFF, which equates to only 40 per cent of the funding available to the United Kingdom. That does not reflect the size of our fishing industry and pales into insignificance compared with the funding in excess of £100 million given to countries such as Lithuania and Denmark.
The industry deserves the support of the Parliament and the Government. As I stand here at the end of another topsy-turvy year—at times distressing and challenging; at times buoyant—I am struck by the constant uncertainty and the unpredictable ups and downs of this great industry. I am also struck by its steady resilience and its unerring spirit in the face of those challenges. Unflinching support for our fishermen is foremost in my mind as we approach the vital first round of negotiations in Brussels next week.
We started this year by breathing a sigh of relief after the negotiations in December 2012, having avoided a further cut in the number of days at sea allowed to our vessels and having protected our vital North Sea cod quota. That soon gave way to increasing anxiety over the persistent and worrying scarcity of prawns in our waters, which lasted throughout the first half of the year.
We acted to bring the fleet through those tough times, with a jointly agreed action plan worth £6 million launched in the middle of the year. That included a £3 million hardship fund to help vessels that were suffering exceptional economic distress to get through an acutely bad patch, endured as a result of the dramatic fall in prawn catches that, as we all recall, was in the headlines.
Our fishermen are among the most resilient in the world. I am glad to say that, more recently, prawn catches have bounced back and catches of white fish have held up very well. Indeed, the industry’s dynamism was on display only last week when we saw more than 28,000 boxes of fish landed in Peterhead alone in a single week, which is one of the highest catches ever recorded in the past decade. In addition, Shetland has set—even though we have yet to reach the end of the year—a new annual record for the number of boxes of fish sold, with the figure heading towards 275,000 boxes for the year, which eclipses the previous high set in 2008 of more than 260,000 boxes. That shows how our fishermen continue to brave the elements to bring Scotland’s superb seafood ashore and help to feed not only Scots but populations around the world.
Scottish seafood cannot always compete on volume but, with its strong emphasis on provenance and sustainability, it produces the utmost quality, which overseas markets crave. That is why we are striving to expand opportunities overseas, driving up the value of Scottish produce and maximising the income for all those involved—from net to plate.
We are also supporting the industry closer to home. I am delighted to announce the latest package of awards under the European Fisheries Fund. This is the 11th round of awards under the EFF, supporting some 45 new projects with more than £3.1 million-worth of support, enabling investment of more than £11 million. Since the launch of the EFF in 2008, it has delivered an impressive £76 million of awards and £170 million of investment in Scotland.
We will make the most of the fund. However, Scotland receives only £46 million under the EFF, which equates to only 40 per cent of the funding available to the United Kingdom. That does not reflect the size of our fishing industry and pales into insignificance compared with the funding in excess of £100 million given to countries such as Lithuania and Denmark.
The industry deserves the support of the Parliament and the Government. As I stand here at the end of another topsy-turvy year—at times distressing and challenging; at times buoyant—I am struck by the constant uncertainty and the unpredictable ups and downs of this great industry. I am also struck by its steady resilience and its unerring spirit in the face of those challenges. Unflinching support for our fishermen is foremost in my mind as we approach the vital first round of negotiations in Brussels next week.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-08540, in the name of Richard Lochhead, on the end-year fisheries negotiations.15:39
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment (Richard Lochhead)
SNP
We meet after what has been another eventful year for our important fishing industry.We started this year by breathing a sigh of relief after the negotiation...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
Will the cabinet secretary update the Parliament on the status of the European Union-Norway talks?
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Yes. I will come on to that very important point on the shared stocks between the EU and Norway if the member will just hold on.I mentioned that the first ro...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome today’s debate in advance of the end-of-year fishing negotiations. It gives us the opportunity to speak in the interests of Scottish fishing and to...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I enjoy the annual opportunity to participate in this debate, with its traditional role of sending the minister off to the European fisheries negotiation wit...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
The EU fisheries talks next week may not agree much. The continuing failure of international discussions involving the EU, Norway, the Faroes and Iceland wil...
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
One thing that can definitely be agreed by all interested parties is that there is a general consensus that cod stocks are recovering in the North Sea. That ...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
There are wide areas of agreement on many aspects of the negotiations and it is right that the members who lodged the motion and amendments have highlighted ...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
PG Wodehouse used to have Bertie Wooster insist that Jeeves had some fish when a particularly knotty problem had to be dealt with, so I naturally had fish fo...
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I declare an interest, in that I have worked for the past 20 years in the Scottish fishing industry in Aberdeen, in North East Scotland, the region that I ha...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
As a member for North East Scotland, I am glad to speak in the debate and to support the Labour amendment. The common fisheries policy was set up to address ...
Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased to take part in the debate. The end-year fishing negotiations are vital to many communities that I and many other members represent. The Scottis...
Tavish Scott
LD
Alex Johnstone started his contribution by saying that this annual debate is Parliament’s way of sending off the minister with great support. It did not alwa...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Tavish Scott
LD
I will just finish my point. Monkfish is the most valuable species to the Shetland fleet, being worth approximately £4 million out of the £60 million of fish...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Like those of Tavish Scott, my constituents are heavily dependent on the fishing industry. I wonder whether, in light of the fact that our minister is one of...
Tavish Scott
LD
I do not in any way doubt the cabinet secretary’s involvement or his expertise, as he has taken part for many years. However, my knowledge of the process has...
Alex Fergusson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
Presiding Officer, I sometimes think that we ought to recall Parliament on Christmas day to hold this debate, such is the degree of good will that emanates f...
Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
This time last year I stood in the chamber to debate the annual EU fisheries negotiations, and I expressed concerns about the state of our shared European fi...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Before I call the cabinet secretary to close the debate, I once again remind members that the debates this afternoon are on a follow-on basis. Members who wi...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Once again, this has been a helpful and useful debate prior to the end-of-year bun fight that takes place in Brussels every December. These annual fisheries ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Eight minutes.
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Okay. Eight more minutes or eight minutes altogether?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Eight minutes in total.
Richard Lochhead
SNP
Thank you.The talks between the EU and Norway are therefore crucial; let me now turn to members’ comments on the cod recovery plan. Lewis Macdonald made a ve...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
The cabinet secretary will be well aware that, in going into negotiations, the more priorities that one has, the weaker one’s position. A number of members h...
Richard Lochhead
SNP
I am happy to confirm that, as I alluded to in my opening remarks, I will not support any deal that leads to any cut in days at sea for the Scottish fleet. I...