Seòmar agus comataidhean

Do you think that the precautionary principle is influencing the consenting process at the moment? Are we being too careful? Do things have to change?

Okay.

Salmon Scotland has raised concerns that SEPA is not meeting acceptable timeframes for reviewing information that has been submitted as part of a pre-application process. It has also told the committee that it is not able to identify any progress towards implementing the recommendations in the Griggs review, and that the consenting process remains long and complex. What are your current response times? How would you respond to Salmon Scotland’s concerns?

Have you seen any negative impact from the tightening of the regulations on medicines?

I have a question on climate change and its impact. We recently heard about micro jellyfish causing problems for fish farms. How do you monitor the impact of climate change? What advice can you give fish farmers? Is there any science on that area? There are obviously concerns for fish health.

Environmental standards on medicine use have been tightened since the publication of the REC Committee’s report. Have you seen a reduction in the testing of medical residues since that tightening took place?

Have you seen any impact from the tightening of the regulations on fish health, or has fish health remained the same since the regulations changed?

I want to ask about new technologies such as enclosed cages, on-land cages, and the impact they may have. Will they have an impact on fish health? Could they mitigate some of the current problems? I am thinking of the lack of experimental cages and the like in Scotland.

I want to ask about banned substances. Some organisations have suggested that there should be an independent regulatory body to look for such substances.

One of the recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission was that no further greyhound tracks be permitted in Scotland. What is your response to that?