Ministers back huge expansion of salmon farming

A MASSIVE expansion of the salmon farming industry must be allowed to go ahead, SNP ministers said yesterday.

Campaigners have been urging the Scottish Government to halt its rapid expansion amid fears it is damaging the environment.

But the calls were rejected by Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing – although he did say tighter controls would be introduced to ensure growth was ‘sustainable’.

His comments came as campaigners submitted a petition calling for action to protect the environment from the industry’s growth.

At a meeting of Holyrood’s rural economy committee, which is holding an inquiry into salmon farming, Mr Ewing admitted ‘the status quo is not acceptable’ but that he would not accept growth ‘at any expense’.

Referring to industry targets to more than double production from 163,000 to 400,000 tons between now and 2030, he said: ‘We do have the capacity of achieving targets the industry has – they are not Government targets, they are industry targets

‘Significant challenges’

– but as has been emphasised last week, I believe, by industry representatives, they are not either in support of growth at any cost.

‘We all recognise the significant challenges and these must be overcome.’

In March, a report by the environment committee raised serious concerns about the continued growth of the farmed salmon industry, Scotland’s single biggest food export, worth £600million a year.

It said Scotland is at a ‘critical’ point where action is needed to ensure the industry can expand sustainably – but warned failure to make changes ‘may cause irrecoverable damage to the environment’.

Salmon and Trout Conservation Scotland has called for an immediate moratorium on new salmon farms. Its call was supported by 26 environmental groups and other bodies in a direct plea to ministers.

Yesterday, campaigners met Green MSP Mark Ruskell to submit a petition, signed by 42,000 people, calling for greater scrutiny of conditions on salmon farms.