Chamber and committees

GPs should visit their registered patients as clinically required.

In relation to Producer Organisations (POs), Scottish Government officials had sought to co-operate with the UK Government in a review of POs. The previous UK government administration had committed to a review of POs (and the retained EU regulations that enabled them) however this did not come about. Given, the pan UK nature of POs (which are governed by guidance developed by the four UK administrations), there are benefits to a joint review. Scottish Government officials will explore the potential for a joint-review with the new UK Government administration in the first instance.

In relation to Quota Management Groups, the Scottish Government is conducting a review of these organisations (which are a Scottish Government initiative and only have remit in Scotland). This review will be published in the coming months.

The Scottish Government is aware of the importance of engaging with under represented groups across the fishing industry. Where research is conducted, this is designed with the aim of trying to include those who are less well engaged.

There is an overall lack of data and evidence on women in fisheries for a number of reasons, and we agree that steps are needed to improve this. However, many of these gaps will need to be filled in collaboration with the industry and the wider research communities. Given other pressing priorities, further research into how women in fisheries were affected specifically by the COVID-19 pandemic has not been taken forward.

The use of traditional methods is what makes Scotch Whisky unique and the methods that must be used, including the types of stills and ageing requirements, are set out in law. In addition to this the Scottish Government provides funding to support delivery of Scotland’s food and drink strategy “Sustaining Scotland Supplying the World” which aims to safeguard and grow Scotland’s food and drink industry. The strategy is led by the Scotland Food & Drink partnership and contains activity to help businesses develop and retain skills as well as driving innovation capacity and capability.

The Women in Scottish Fisheries report provides a thorough overview of the importance of women across the industry and specifies that creating an attractive, safe and supportive environment for women, might direct us towards achieving a more equitable, and sustainable industry overall.

This remains a live topic that the Scottish Government is keen to explore in the future and we encourage industry to take the lead to bring about change wherever possible. We recognise that some actions may need to be initiated by government and we want to explore options for collaborative working and for actions to be developed in partnership with the fishing industry.

The Marine Directorate has several formal stakeholder engagement forums where there are opportunities to discuss the performance of the Marine Directorate with fishermen, their representatives and fisheries businesses. These include the Fisheries Management and Conservation Group (FMAC), and Regional Inshore Fisheries Management Groups RIFG. Additionally, there are many ad hoc meetings with stakeholders and regular engagement through direct correspondence with relevant officials where the Marine Directorate’s activities and performance can be discussed.

Marine Directorate Compliance Operations portfolio publish inspection data with the latest data being published shortly. (Reporting statistics from marine and fisheries compliance - gov.scot) We will continue to develop the data we publish.

The Scottish Government, Scotland Development International and the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s activities focus on three markets: Scotland, Rest of UK, and International. Small and independent distilleries are represented in all these activities, including support to attend trade fairs in these markets. Additionally, the Scottish Government’s Vision for Trade and Scotland: a Trading Nation export strategy set out our ambitions to increase market access and reduce trade barriers which is central to an improved trading environment. Domestically, funding provided by the Scottish Government to the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership’s “Sustaining Scotland. Supplying the World” food and drink strategy can help businesses to leverage these opportunities.

From 2019 the landing obligation requires all species subject to a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) be landed irrespective of whether they are above the required marketable size. It is therefore not illegal to land fish below the minimum size if it is recorded and not sold for human consumption. It can be processed for fishmeal or used as bait in creel fisheries. The following link provides further information Landing obligation and discarding - Sea fisheries - gov.scot

The following table details reports where fish below the relevant minimum size was landed to be sold for human consumption.

The Scottish Government’s understanding of regional trade flows in seafood is informed by a range of sources. Primary data relating to the seafood industry including fisheries, aquaculture, processing, trade, and retail statistics is either collected by the Scottish Government (for example, Scotland’s Sea Fisheries Statistics), collected by relevant UK Government Departments (for example HM Revenue & Custom’s international trade statistics or the Office for National Statistic’s Living Costs and Food Survey), or collected by industry bodies (for example Seafish’s Processing Sector Survey). Relevant HMRC datasets that are of particular relevance include the Overseas Trade Statistics (OTS) and Regional Trade Statistics (RTS) publications.

The member should also note ongoing research as part of the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) 2022-27 research programme which includes a project focused on understanding Scottish food supply chains, including seafood. The project aims to develop a better understanding of seafood being produced in Scotland, what is imported and exported, and how that relates to what we eat and what we should be eating in terms of recommended amounts of seafood consumption.

These various sources all inform Scottish Government’s approach to the seafood industry and seafood trade.