Aquaculture: external review of the current regulatory processes involved in fish farming

Extract from SNP Manifesto – “Scotland’s Future”

Fish Farming

Fish farming is something that Scotland is well placed globally to do well in, but it must grow sustainably, in harmony with the marine environement that supports it.

We will reform and streamline regulatory processes so that development is more responsive, tansparent and efficient.  At the heart of our new approach will be a new, single determining authority for farm consents, modelled on the the regulatory regime in Norway.  This will bring greater clarity and speed to the process.

We will expect producers to contribute much more to the communities and local economies which support them so we will also expore how a Norwegian – style auction system for new farm develoments might generate significant income to support inspection and welfare services, provide real community benefit on islands and in remote rural areas and support innovation and enterprise.

We will support innovation in aquaculture, for example by exploring the development of closed containment fish production on land and explore the potential to produce more shellfish in warm water, land based farms to cut the amount of unsustainably produced fish and shellfish being imported to Scotland.