The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 541 contributions
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 12 June 2024
Emma Roddick
Yes. So, what—if any—are the challenges that you face in ensuring robust enforcement?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
Last session, the committee did not feel that there was enough evidence to pursue certain other recommended routes. Some of the recommendations were about addressing the data and analysis gaps, particularly around the discharge of medicines and chemicals into the natural environment. Do you think that those gaps have been addressed? Have they been addressed to the extent that we can be confident about the environmental impact of fish farms?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
So, since 2018, that recommendation has not been met, largely because it could not be met?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
On the consenting process, what would you like to see more as standard from growth and expansion in a particular community?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
That is interesting, because it has been identified that other fishing is going on in the area, and the impact on that is assumed to be negative. Is there a way of balancing that through the consenting process?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
I have a question for Sarah Evans on the environmental impact. What more could be done now on enforcement, without creating new legislation or powers, to mitigate pollution and the impact on the marine environment?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
So, the data may be held centrally by various bodies, but external organisations cannot get anything from it.
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
I note that most of the welfare-focused recommendations made by the previous committee in the last parliamentary session looked at mortality. That is understandable, because that is easy to collect data on, but what other indicators do we need to achieve that overview of fish welfare that that committee also asked for? What would be the key indicators beyond mortality that you would want fish farms to look at?
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
Earlier, we heard some uncertainty around what can be done to prevent fish escapes. How can the recommendation to take a precautionary approach be met by farms, if it is unclear what can be done to prevent escapes from occurring in the first place?
12:15Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Meeting date: 5 June 2024
Emma Roddick
I want to come back to fish welfare but, if we can, focus on the environmental impact for a moment. John Aitchison mentioned that the SEPA framework is showing good indications. How long does that need to bed in before we know whether it is enough, and what more needs to be done?