The Scottish Parliament

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)

Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Question reference: S6W-44435

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2026
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 March 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of information obtained by Animal Equality UK through a Freedom of Information request, which reportedly indicates that SEPA recorded 103 non-compliances at Scottish salmon farms in 2025, representing a 243% increase on the figure recorded in 2024, including 47 classified as major non-compliances, and that three quarters of sites found to be non-compliant over the last three years remain classified as non-compliant, whether it will commit to reviewing SEPA’s enforcement powers in relation to aquaculture.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) enforcement powers in relation to aquaculture.

SEPA already has a number of options in its enforcement toolkit, ranging from informal advice and guidance to the use of formal enforcement measures including final warning letters, statutory notices, monetary penalties, and reports to the Procurator Fiscal recommending prosecution.

For the purpose of environmental protection, SEPA places licence conditions on marine fish farm operators and SEPA’s enforcement action is designed to secure compliance using the most appropriate and effective method. Decisions on enforcement are taken in line with its publicly available Enforcement Policy and guidance on the use of enforcement action. The form of enforcement action (which may be used alone or in combination with other approaches) will differ depending on the nature of the non-compliance, the harm caused and the history of the responsible person in question. SEPA also considers what immediate action is needed for the protection of the environment.

Any instance of non-compliance is concerning. SEPA’s new Environmental Performance Assessment Scheme (EPAS) will provide a common standard to rate the environmental performance of SEPA-authorised operators and drive improvements in compliance.

SEPA will publish EPAS ratings when its new digital systems are in place which is anticipated to be during 2027.

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Question reference: S6W-44435

Answer