SSPO calls for measures to ease Channel gridlock

Perishable seafood should be fast-tracked to deal with congestion at the Channel ports, according to the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation. The SSPO is calling for Operation Brock, the emergency measures drawn up to deal with hold-ups after the end of the Brexit transition period, to be fully implemented ahead of 1 January. Cross-Channel traffic is…

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Mixed reaction for Brexit trade deal

Relief at one end of the UK seafood and fishing spectrum – with dismay and accusations of a sell-out at the other. That is the contrasting reaction to the news on Christmas Eve that Britain had finally reached a trade deal with the EU. The announcement was broadly welcomed (with reservations) by the Scottish Salmon…

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Call for Covid tests for drivers in Scotland

Seafood industry leaders and the Scottish Government have called for rapid Covid-19 testing for lorry drivers in Scotland to help clear the backlog at the Channel ports. On Wednesday it was announced that French ports would be opened again to hauliers entering the UK, but it is estimated that clearing the queues of lorries that…

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Salmon farmers call for priority as ports reopen

Scotland’s salmon farmers have today called for time-critical perishable seafood products to be given priority access to the reopened Channel crossings. They have also raised the question of compensation for losses arising from the closure. Yesterday the UK and France agreed a protocol to partially lift the travel ban, which was imposed in response to…

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UK transport links to Europe still closed

Seafood industry leaders have expressed frustration that the UK and French governments have not yet managed to agree a way to lift the travel ban imposed as a response to the new strain of Covid-19. This morning, the UK government said talks were under way to reopen the French border for travellers and hauliers. The…

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Coronavirus lorry ban hits UK seafood exporters

The port of Dover has been closed to lorries and ferry passengers following a travel ban imposed by the French government on Sunday. The ban, in response to a surge in Covid-19 cases associated with a new strain of the virus, has hit seafood exports from the UK. The ban applies to all ferry and…

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As others see us

One of the benefits of coming towards the end of one’s career is the ability to look back at how the industry has performed. For a change, I’m not talking about farm performance but about how well we respond to some of the reasonable – and unreasonable – criticism that we face as an industry.…

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Scotland resumes salmon exports to Saudi Arabia

Producers are optimistic that the first shipment of Scottish salmon to Saudi Arabia in 18 months could point the way to new market opportunities. A shipment of Mowi Scotland salmon arrived in Dammam on Saturday 21 November, effectively re-opening the Saudi Arabian market after a lengthy hiatus due to the changes in Saudi seafood regulations…

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Industry calls for ‘more efficient regulation’

Regulation of salmon farming in Scotland needs a new approach and less duplication, MSPs were told yesterday. The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee was meeting regulators and industry representatives to assess progress in the two years since a major report on fish farming by the Scottish Parliament came out in 2018. Tavish Scott,…

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Sustainability at the heart of SSPO vision

Scotland’s salmon farmers have unveiled an ambitious vision statement, placing sustainability at the heart of the industry’s future. The document, A Better Future For Us All, commits the industry to achieving net zero greenhouse gases (GHG) before 2045; to becoming 100 per cent reliable on renewable energy; and to working towards 100 per cent biodegradable/recyclable…

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