SALMON SCOTLAND COMMENT ON PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT

Salmon Scotland comment on Programme for Government. On Tuesday, John Swinney outlined plans to improve the consenting process for aquaculture developments located between three and 12 nautical miles from the coast.
But Salmon Scotland said this will do little to help the farmers operating closer to shore, where the red tape is stalling sustainable growth and delaying revenues needed to support public services.

The First Minister also announced an additional £5 million investment in Scotland’s food and drink strategy to drive growth, along with a further £5 million to support food processing and marketing.

Salmon Scotland is the trade body for the UK’s biggest food export, which supports 12,500 jobs in Scotland and generates £760 million for the local economy.

Recommendations from an independent review by Professor Russel Griggs, which provided a detailed roadmap for better regulation, have yet to be fully implemented more than three years on.

Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said:

“The Scottish Government’s plans to streamline the approval process for offshore aquaculture developments show they understand the current system is inefficient. However, this focus will not address the challenges faced by farmers closer to shore, who are eager to invest and support coastal communities.

“Three years after the Griggs review, we’re still waiting for real change. Without it, we can’t create the skilled local jobs our sector can offer. Planning departments also need proper funding so decisions can be made faster, not just for salmon farming, but for other sectors too.

“We stand ready to work with ministers to ensure the new funding helps communities and supports Scotland’s most valuable food export. We want to grow and support the economy. Now we need the government to cut the red tape and help make that happen.”

The 2025-2026 Programme for Government includes commitments to:

• Streamline the consenting process for aquaculture, improving efficiency and clarifying the process for developments between three and 12 nautical miles offshore.
• Invest an additional £5m in Scotland’s food and drink strategy to drive growth. Allocate £5m to support food processing and marketing.

Programme for Government:

Supporting documents – Programme for Government 2025 to 2026 – gov.scot

The Griggs report was published on February 10, 2022, and its findings were immediately accepted by the Scottish Government, including the following recommendation:

“The Scottish Government work with all parties through a project board to produce, within 12 months, a 10-year framework for each part of the aquaculture sector (finfish, shellfish, and seaweed) within which all must operate.”

Recommendations included:

“A new single licencing payment is introduced based on tonnage output of each site, which covers the costs of all bodies involved in the process and addresses community benefit as well.”

Griggs report: https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-aquaculture-regulatory-process-scotland/pages/2/