Seòmar agus comataidhean

Mark, you have been named.

Great. That was very helpful. Ronan, I am not going to ask you—

The REC Committee recommended that we need to do something about the issue, and it seems to me that we are not getting anywhere on recommendation 9.

Ronan O’Hara talked about Crown Estate Scotland having sustainability reporting obligations. What does CES think about the fact that it is a landlord—or a seabedlord—to companies that have a business that brings about a high level of mortality and suffering?

Amendment 2 would add an additional requirement that a person who is acquiring a dog must seek its existing health records and the contact details of the vet practice that it is registered with. Confirmation of that would be included on the certificate. Amendment 2 is similar to amendment 1 in that it would ensure that the importance of on-going veterinary care is reflected in the code of practice, and it would increase the chances of a prospective new owner being fully informed of any pre-existing health or behavioural conditions. If a seller cannot provide that information, it should be recognised as a clear red flag.

Amendment 3 would strengthen the requirement on both the supplier and the acquirer to provide contact information, requiring an email address and phone number in addition to the postal address. That would enhance the traceability of the breeder or original owner and the new owner. Of the 10.6 million dogs in the UK, only 33 per cent were acquired from professional breeders, and a vast majority came from online sellers. My amendment recognises that many dog adverts are online and many of the subsequent transactions take place online. The code of practice should reflect the fact that we are living in a digital age. I have had discussions with the SSPCA, which has highlighted the need to recognise that dogs are increasingly being advertised online.

I take Rhoda Grant’s point, and I take the minister’s point on amendment 3 with regard to the detail that will be developed. However, I also take on board Christine Grahame’s comment that there is merit in the health records being connected to the transaction, so I press amendment 2.

Amendment 2 agreed to.

To pick up on that, I note that both Mark Harvey and Rachel Shucksmith mentioned stronger co-ordination, so what kinds of things have you seen change or do you think need to change to improve that co-ordination?

On the basis of the minister’s offer to meet and discuss the issue further, I will not move the amendment.

Amendment 1 not moved.

Amendments 27 to 29 moved—[Jim Fairlie]—and agreed to.

Amendment 65 moved—[Rachael Hamilton].

Do you think that something is missing there? If NatureScot is looking at national things and the responsibility for making the other decisions falls—to use your term—on the local authority, is something else needed, or are you satisfied with the local authority making that decision in that nuanced way?

I will pick up on a number of the recommendations that were made by the REC Committee. Recommendation 9 says:

“The Committee considers the current level of mortalities to be too high in general across the sector and it is very concerned to note the extremely high mortality rates at particular sites. It is of the view that no expansion should be permitted at sites which report high or significantly increased levels of mortalities, until these are addressed to the satisfaction of the appropriate regulatory bodies.”

Throughout these evidence sessions, we have heard about high mortality. One example is of a salmon farm in Loch Seaforth in the Western Isles, where more than a million fish died in a production cycle in 2023, and the level of suffering carried on for six months without any consequences. What do you think about that?

From our evidence sessions, it seems to be the case that already high levels of mortality are increasing—possibly due to climate change but maybe for other reasons—but nobody in the process seems to be responsible for the mortalities. We cannot quite get to the bottom of it. Do you have any thoughts on that and on what we can do about it?

So, when you consent a farm, you do not have any data on mortality. You said that we might need to look at spatial mapping. At the moment, you do not have any data on the trends. I think that Rachel Shucksmith said that there is a fluid and changing picture when we are dealing with the marine space.