Scottish Government urged to help Peterhead blaze company

ALISON McInnes, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Scotland, yesterday urged Scottish Ministers to provide support to Northbay Pelagic following the fire at its fish processing plant in Peterhead on Saturday.
During Topical Questions in the Scottish Parliament today, McInnes highlighted the challenges facing the company and the wider impact that the incident could have upon the local economy.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, said that the Scottish Government will be represented on a new multi-agency taskforce set to meet on Friday to establish how the public sector can assist the company in the short and long-term.
Afterwards, Alison McInnes MSP commented: ‘The damage caused by the fire on Saturday was devastating. Thankfully no-one is believed to have been injured. By all accounts the emergency services did an excellent job in the face of a hazardous situation.
‘However, these are obviously uncertain times for the hundreds of people who are employed either directly by the company or in the wider supply chain.
‘The challenge now for the Scottish Government and others in the public sector is to help in any way possible to assist the company’s recovery and enable it to continue to operate in the short and long-term.
‘This will both protect local jobs and help preserve the town’s status as the largest fishing port in the UK.’