Aquaculture Consenting Task Group - Advisory Group minutes: 7 May 2024

Attendees and apologies

Other organisations:

•    Professor Russel Griggs, Independent
•    Anne Anderson – Scottish Sea Farms (SSF)
•    Dave Cockerill – Bakkafrost
•    Douglas Hunter – Mowi
•    Ben Johnson – Cooke Aquaculture Scotland 
•    Michael Montague - Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
•    Peter Pollard - Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
•    John Rosie Shetlands Islands Council

Scottish Government

•    Jill Barber, Head of Aquaculture Development (Chair)
•    Bill Ellis, Aquaculture Consenting Improvement Lead
•    Wendy Geary - Policy Adviser
•    Iain Laing, Improvement Adviser

Apologies 

•    Aleksander Jasinski, Aquaculture Planning Policy Support Officer
•    Simon Pallant – Shetland Islands Council
•    Mark Harvey – Highland Council
•    Malcolm Pentland - Deputy Director, Marine Economy and Communities, Scottish Government
•    Kieran McQuaid - Performance and Change Lead, Scottish Government

Secretariat provided by Scottish Government officials.

Items and actions

Introduction

Chair welcomed all and thanked those in attendance.

Update on Pilots

Learning points that were identified in the first pilot such as data sharing, email communication, and the pre-application form format have been addressed which has informed the other pilot sites. 

There was an update on the 4 pilots currently underway in Highland and Shetland areas.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Environmental Reports for all 4 pilots are expected shortly.  SEPA is considering accessibility of their Reports, and this may mean slight variations.  Additional steps re sharing versions of the draft report in the first pilot pre-application will not be done going forward, which should speed up  timescales.  SEPA are also considering the consultation period in order to speed up the process.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 

The EIA process and the issues of duplication was also raised. The volume, length and scale of reports for an EIA can be challenging and time consuming.  It was agreed to explore the statutory requirements, the process, and the potential to avoid duplication.  

ACTION: Sottish Government Marine Directorate to consider an EIA workshop (following publication of SEPA Reports for the first 4 Pilots) to explore issues and opportunities for streamlining within the SEPA environmental risk screening and assessment and Local Authority EIA processes.  

Evaluation

The Provision of Independent Evaluation of Aquaculture Fish Farm Consenting Pilot Sites had gone out to tender in March.  The contract to the winning bid will be awarded shortly.  The consultants will begin work later this month, starting with a stakeholder engagement plan. A final report is expected by end of the year.

Chair

Due to pressure of work, Dickon Howell has stepped down as chair of the Consenting Task Group.  Members agreed to a Scottish Government chair of the CTG. 

Next Steps

• That there should be a workshop regarding EIA (and HRA) to look at common issues being experienced in the pilots, with a view to ensuring that EIA takes a targeted approach.  The workshop would bring in EIA/HRA specialists. 
• There should be an in-person workshop to look at the next steps for the CTG. This should work through arrangements for alignment of SEPA and planning application process. 
• We should update  the main CTG with an extended distribution list to include wider stakeholders. 

ACTION:  Scottish Government Marine Directorate to consider an exploratory session covering the environmental regulatory framework and impact of aquaculture (and workshop to consider next steps).

Close

The date of the next Consenting Task Group - Advisory Group has yet to be confirmed.