The committee’s report will confirm the outcome of the debate. I thank the cabinet secretary and her officials for joining us.

There are no more questions. I thank the minister for giving evidence.

Agenda item 3 is consideration of motion S6M-01401.

Motion moved,

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Valuation and Rating (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Order 2021 [draft] be approved.—[Tom Arthur]

Motion agreed to.

Agenda item 2 is the committee’s third evidence-taking session on the draft Valuation and Rating (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Order 2021. I welcome Tom Arthur, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, as well as Anouk Berthier, head of non-domestic rates policy, and David Smith, lawyer, from the Scottish Government.

We will take evidence from the minister before moving to a formal debate on the order. I invite the minister to make a short opening statement.

We will move on to our fifth theme, which is local authority revenues. I invite Paul McLennan to introduce the theme.

I have another question on a different topic. I noticed from your work programme that you will be looking at abattoirs. What are your views on local and mobile abattoir provision? Would such provision help to improve animal welfare and, if so, how? What other benefits would local abattoirs provide for animal welfare?

The 2021-22 programme for government and the shared policy programme with the Scottish Greens include many commitments that relate to animal welfare, including to strengthen controls on sea lice, wrasse and escapees from fish farms; to consider whether the Scottish SPCA should be given extra powers to investigate wildlife crime; and to explore the introduction of a public register of species licences. How can SAWC support the areas of legislative policy development that are set out in the programme for government and the shared policy programme? Will those announcements have an impact on your work programme? I realise that that is a very big question, so a high-level response will be welcome.

I wish to note that the consultation analysis shows that

“Most individuals, environmental organisations and fisheries or other board/trust respondents supported the Code but would like fish farms to be regulated further and are concerned about enforcement of implementation of the Code.”

Concerns about regulation included several requests

“that the Code should do more to manage and control”

or phase out

“the use of ADDs”—

acoustic deterrent devices—and replace them with benign methods of predator control.

Referring to aquaculture production businesses, concerns about enforcement included

“Concerns around non-compliance and inconsistency of self-reporting by APBs; Concerns about inadequate penalties for non-compliance”

and challenges regarding the

“practicalities of implementing the Code”,

including

“timescales and content of reporting”

and

“gaps or contradictory guidance”.

As the consultation analysis report goes on to say, several respondents indicated their view that

“more of the Code should be in the form of ... mandatory requirements, rather than guidance.”

We need to ensure that fish farms operate sustainably in order for them to continue providing jobs and benefits for coastal communities in the long term.

I am content to note the instrument, but I urge the Government to review the code on a regular basis and to update it as necessary to ensure the use of best available practice, underpinned by scientific findings and new developments.

I want to touch on the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which has provisions to create an animal sentience committee to advise the UK secretary of state. How might SAWC engage with the committee, should it come to be? What are your views on the provisions in place in Scotland to have regard to animal sentience, especially given that the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union no longer applies. Article 13 of the treaty stipulates that, when

“formulating and implementing”

policy,

“full regard”

should be paid to the

“welfare requirements of animals”.

I gave some examples and talked about strengthening controls on sea lice, wrasse and escapees from fish farms, but I also wanted to get a sense of the impact that the announcements in the PFG and the shared policy programme might have on your work programme. You have begun to outline that, but perhaps you could say a little about controls on sea lice, wrasse and escapees first. I am aware, though, that we have already touched on the issue of fish farms quite a bit.

Thank you for joining us. I hope that the technology works throughout the meeting.

I am pleased to see that your work programme includes the task of preparing a report on welfare on salmon farms. Could you please tell us whether and how that will build on the report of March this year by Compassion in World Farming and OneKind, “Underwater Cages, Parasites and Dead Fish: Why a Moratorium on Scottish Salmon Farming Expansion is Imperative”? Do you believe that there is sufficient reason to put in place a moratorium on new salmon farms until animal welfare concerns are addressed? If not, would you propose strengthening aquaculture regulations through legislation to bring the legislation on welfare for fish more closely into line with that for other species?

I am not sure who to direct the question to, but maybe Cathy Dwyer can help me with that.