Mr
Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask
the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the application to
the European Union to safeguard the Scottish salmon farming industry.
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural
Development (Allan Wilson): Having carried out
a thorough preliminary investigation, the European Commission has reported
its findings to the member states. We believe that we have significant
support from the member states, which will allow the Commission to introduce
provisional measures at this stage. We think that that is good news for the
industry, which has been under severe financial pressure, mainly due to
cheap imports of salmon coming into the European Union from Norway and being
sold below production cost.
Mr Morrison: I thank the
minister for that encouraging response. I applaud him and his United Kingdom
colleagues for their collective effort to secure measures to safeguard our
fish farming industries. When can we expect the measures to be put in place
and for how long will the protection be used?
Allan Wilson: The
Scottish Executive has worked closely with the UK Government on the issue.
That has resulted in the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Trade
and Industry and the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, who has
responsibility for foreign trade, all becoming involved in discussions with
the EU on our behalf. That is an example of the UK working in partnership in
the interests of the Scottish aquaculture industry. I hope to see the
measures introduced within the next few days or the next week. They will
operate for 200 days, which will be important in providing the stability
that our aquaculture industry needs at this time.
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber)
(SNP): It would be churlish of me not to
welcome the execution of a U-turn by the Westminster Government, even though
it has taken five years. Does the minister recognise the parlous economic
state of the salmon farming industry in this country? Does he agree that, in
order to safeguard it, three simple measures will be required? Those
measures are, first, to remove the rental charges exacted by the Crown
Estate; secondly, to heed the arguments put forward by Scottish Quality
Salmon and others with regard to the regulatory regime that applies here but
not in Norway or in other countries; and, finally, to promote salmon as a
healthy part of people's diet and as being especially beneficial to the
cognitive development of the unborn child.
Allan Wilson: Mr Ewing is
quite wrong to suggest that there has been a U-turn on the matter on the
part of the UK Government or of anyone else. That suggestion is symptomatic
of the policy-less, directionless and leaderless state of the SNP at the
current time. Perhaps Mr Ewing wants to fill that leadership gap.
I agree with Mr Ewing that the health benefits of eating two portions of
oily fish per week cannot be overstated and that salmon provides a reliable
and nutritious source of that dietary element. We shall continue to work and
act on behalf of the industry. The aquaculture framework strategy, which we
set up, is working closely with the industry to ensure that it is as
competitive as it can be, but the safeguard
application has clearly shown that the Scottish industry is as competitive
as the Norwegian industry is, to within less than 1p in the pound.
Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Although attempts to reduce Norwegian, Chilean and
Faroese salmon imports to the European Union might appear to help the
Scottish industry, does the minister accept that nearly half our industry is
Norwegian owned? Is he concerned that attempts to block salmon imports from
Norway, however well intentioned, might lead to a salmon price war that
could eventually have serious repercussions for Norwegian-owned salmon farms
in Scotland?
Allan Wilson: I was
absolutely astonished to hear Struan Stevenson expressing similar sentiments
during the European election campaign and I think that the Scottish public
gave the Conservatives their response. I do not think that there is the
danger that Mr Brocklebank describes; if I did, we would not have pursued
the
approach that we did. The needs of multinational industries in the
aquaculture sector are quite different from those in the indigenously owned
sector, if I can call it that, who want bigger sites and better regulation.
That is what we are working with that sector of the industry to procure
through the framework strategy. |
