Hansard

I thank all those who were involved in the preparation and scrutiny of the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill. In particular, I record my gratitude to the many people who volunteered their time to help work up the proposals and to give oral and written evidence. Above all, the bill is a collaborative effort, which is why I believe it has found favour with the vast majority of stakeholders.

I thank the Environment and Rural Development Committee sincerely for its diligent and helpful scrutiny of the bill and I welcome its endorsement of the bill in its stage 1 report and its recommendation that the general principles be agreed to.

I have written to thank the committee for its report and my letter responds to some of the main points that are raised in the report. I confirm that the additional information that was requested in the report will be provided to the committee before stage 2 proceedings start.

At the outset, I underline the importance and potential in Scotland of aquaculture and freshwater fisheries. Retail spend on salmon products in the United Kingdom this year has been some £430 million and the salmon farming industry is estimated to support the employment of some 8,500 people. There is scope for aquaculture to grow in Scotland, particularly for other sectors such as shellfish and other marine species.

Anglers who fish in Scotland spend some £113 million annually and support some 2,800 full-time equivalent jobs, mostly in rural areas. There is considerable scope for angling, particularly coarse angling, to grow in Scotland and the bill helps to lay the foundations for such growth to take place sustainably. Ministers are committed to the sustainable development of both sectors for the greater good of Scotland.

In recent years, the Executive has worked with stakeholders and other parts of the public sector to progress a range of initiatives to help protect and promote the two sectors. Our main policy instrument has been the Executive's aquaculture strategy and its rolling programme of priorities for action. We are drawing up a similar strategic framework for the freshwater sector. Initiatives such as the trade defence measures in Europe protect our smaller salmon businesses from unfair trading practices, and the tripartite working group on aquaculture—the TWG—tackles the tensions between aquaculture and freshwater interests, particularly on sea lice and escapes. The TWG process has developed 15 area management agreements, which provide for greater understanding—for example the exchange of information on sea lice—and the promotion of best practice.

The bill seeks to act as a backstop to the fish farming industry's code of good practice. All sides have recognised that it strikes the right balance on the degree of regulation that is required. It also lays strong foundations for the further development of both freshwater fisheries and aquaculture. I am heartened that the proposals are on the right track and am optimistic that the measured and consensual approach that has been taken will continue for the remainder of the bill's passage through the Parliament.

I am delighted that the committee has recognised the importance of good relations among stakeholders and between stakeholders and the Executive. In particular, I welcome the statement in paragraph 12 of its stage 1 report that the Executive's

"commitment to stakeholder involvement in the early processes of the Bill's development has been widely demonstrated throughout the evidence the Committee received."

The ministerial working group on aquaculture, the freshwater fisheries forum and the tripartite working group have been extremely useful arenas for working through problems together and for coming up with joint solutions. The bill is therefore representative of the agreed views of stakeholders. I thank members of the Scottish Parliament who have been involved with those bodies and have given their time over the years to work with them.

We have said all along that the Executive strongly supports the voluntary approach that is set out in the aquaculture industry's code of practice, which includes robust provisions on the prevention of escapes and the control of sea lice. The purpose of the bill is to underpin that code of practice and strengthen public confidence in the industry by ensuring that companies that do not sign up to or cannot adhere to the code in respect of the key issues of sea lice and containment have to meet the agreed standards. The purpose is not to push beyond the industry-accepted norms of good practice. Our guiding principles for the bill are fairness, inclusiveness, lightness of touch and responsiveness to need.

The bill provides powers to tackle the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, if it should ever enter Scotland. On 7 December, I published the Executive's contingency plan on how to tackle an outbreak of the parasite. I draw members' attention to that plan. I emphasise that implementation of the plan, when ministers decide that eradication is the appropriate response, depends on approval of the powers in the bill. I have offered committee members a detailed briefing by my officials on GS and the contingency plan, which I encourage them to take up. I am pleased that the committee broadly supports the proposals in the remainder of the bill, including the sea fisheries provisions, which are due to be contained in an Executive amendment at stage 2.

As members know, the purpose of this debate is to discuss the general principles of the bill rather than to provide detailed responses to all the points that have been made. However, I assure members that we will consider and carefully reflect on the Environment and Rural Development Committee's report and the points that members make in this debate. Ministers will seek to respond to those views as positively as they can and to give views that are consistent with the fundamental principles of the bill. I hope that the bill will move to the next stage of consideration with continuing broad-based support. Our shared purpose has been evident in the constructive attitude that has dominated the debate on the bill thus far. I look forward to having further detailed debates on the bill's details with committee members at stage 2.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill.