Date set for Holyrood salmon debate

THE Scottish parliament is to debate the recent Holyrood committee report on salmon farming next Wednesday afternoon. A period between 2pm and 5.15pm has been set aside for the discussion. The report was published last November by the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee, which launched its inquiry into the salmon sector earlier in 2018.…

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REC report: a charter for growth?

URGENT action is needed to improve the regulation of the Scottish salmon farming industry and to address fish health and environmental challenges, the long awaited Scottish parliamentary report into the sector has found. But the Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee, which launched its inquiry into salmon farming in March, steps back from demanding a…

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Scottish salmon value tops £1bn

SCOTTISH farmed salmon was worth more than £1 billion to the economy for the first time last year, an increase of 37 per cent on 2016. The news came on top of government figures this morning revealing a 16.5 per cent rise in production in 2017, to almost 190,000 tonnes. Following the publication of the…

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Cooke’s recipe for offshore success

SCOTLAND’S rural economy minister, Fergus Ewing, learnt about advances being made in offshore salmon farming during a recent trip to Orkney. The minister visited Cooke Aquaculture’s Kirkwall base to hear about progress at the company’s new, high energy site at East Skelwick in Westray. Granted planning permission last summer, the farm is 2.5km offshore, and…

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MSPs ‘to demand tougher salmon farm rules’

THE Holyrood inquiry into the future of salmon farming in Scotland will demand extensive changes to how the industry is regulated, according to a report in the Sunday Post yesterday. Quoting \’a source close to the [Rural Economy and Connectivity] committee\’, which conducted the probe, the Post reported that MSPs are concerned about the industry’s…

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Minister vows to deal with salmon detractors

FERGUS Ewing, Scotland’s rural economy minister, vowed to continue fighting for the future of the country’s salmon farming industry, which has come under increasing attack in recent months. In a speech in Kirkwall to mark the tenth anniversary of Scottish Sea Farms’ operations in Orkney, Ewing praised the contribution the sector makes to the islands,…

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MSPs meet to consider salmon inquiry report

A DRAFT report on the future of salmon farming in Scotland will be presented to members of Holyrood’s Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) committee in Edinburgh tomorrow morning. The committee took evidence from fish farmers, environmental groups, scientists, government regulators and other stakeholders in a series of six sessions, held at the Scottish parliament earlier…

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Inshore men’s voice to be heard

THE future of Scotland’s fishing industry will be discussed by inshore fishermen at the fifth Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference (SIFC), being held in Inverness on October 5. The organisers are confident that, with Brexit on the horizon, delegates from a cross-section of inshore fishing interests will take the opportunity to air their views. Fergus Ewing,…

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Sturgeon hosts 'valuable' seafood summit

A SEAFOOD summit organised by Nicola Sturgeon today focused on long-term growth opportunities, investing in capacity, and building Scotland\’s brand at home and abroad. It was described on Twitter by Food and Drink Scotland boss James Withers as a \’valuable meeting\’, and it involved all sections of Scotland’s fisheries industry, including aquaculture. Concern has been…

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‘Happy day’ as MH opens £26.5m hatchery

MARINE Harvest’s new £26.5 million recirculation hatchery in Inchmore, Glenmoriston, was a ‘magnificent investment’ for Scotland and the future of the aquaculture sector, said rural affairs minister Fergus Ewing as he officially opened the building this morning. In front of local councillors, members of the community, the construction team, and the Fort William based company’s…

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