"Scotland's GBP 1bn salmon sector should be a priority"

"Scotland's GBP 1bn salmon sector should be a priority in Swinney's first 100 days." This is how the non-governmental organization Prosper summarized the spirit of the paper it has published this week, highlighting the pivotal role that salmon farming plays in supporting jobs, investment and long-term resilience in Scottish rural, coastal and island communities.

A cross-sector membership organization and economic think tank, Prosper aims to strengthen Scotland's economic competitiveness through influencing government to create sustainable economic prosperity for the country. Thus, this new report—'Net gains: supporting Scotland's salmon farming sector'—was released yesterday ahead of the Aquaculture UK conference in Glasgow next week, which will be opened by Scotland's new Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, Jim Fairlie.

In the paper, Prosper urges John Swinney's new government, which began its second term on May 19, to make the sustainable growth of salmon farming a national economic priority. The non-governmental organization argues that Scotland has a clear opportunity to develop the salmon sector sustainably, especially now that the First Minister has placed planning and regulatory reforms among the priorities for the first 100 days of his new administration.

"By providing well paid, year round employment, salmon farming supports communities where alternative opportunities are limited, while contributing to wider national prosperity," Prosper said in a statement announcing the paper's release.

"Salmon farming is a Scottish rural sector which is a global success story," the organization argues in the report. Later on, it recalls that, as mentioned above, the sector generates an estimated GBP 1bn for Scotland's economy every year, and it is the UK's largest food export by value, with total international sales of over GBP 6bn in the last decade.

However, Prosper's paper also warns that complex planning and regulatory processes are hindering investment. Therefore, the NGO is calling for faster and more predictable authorization procedures, clearer regulatory frameworks, and continued support for training and skills development to maximize the sector's contribution to communities across Scotland.

"Scotland has an opportunity to build on that success"

Prosper's request to the new Scottish government was immediately supported by Salmon Scotland, the trade body representing the Scottish salmon sector, which employs 11,000 people in the country, most of them, as mentioned above, in rural, coastal and island communities.

"Prosper has added an important voice to the growing consensus that Scotland should back the responsible growth of salmon farming," said Salmon Scotland CEO Tavish Scott. "This is a sector that supports jobs, investment, and economic activity in some of Scotland's most fragile communities, while producing one of Scotland's greatest export success stories."

"As the paper highlights, Scotland has an opportunity to build on that success. If we want to attract investment, support innovation, and deliver sustainable growth, we need a regulatory system that is efficient, predictable, and fit for purpose," Scott continued. "That would benefit communities, businesses, and the wider Scottish economy."

Before the elections, the trade body had already made its own "wish list" for the incoming government, in which cutting red tape and supporting jobs, investment, and export growth were the main demands to boost Scottish salmon, which is not only the UK's biggest food export but also its most popular fish.

Now, in the same vein as Salmon Scotland has spoken out so many times, the Prosper report also notes that "at a time of growing concerns about food security and public health, Scotland has the capacity to produce more high-quality, healthy and nutritious salmon which can help to meet UK domestic and international demand, including that for premium products."

Moreover, given the series of free trade agreements signed by the UK with India, South Korea, and, most recently, with the Gulf states, the sector's ability to adapt will be key to meeting the potential demand for these types of products. "Scotland should capitalise on this opportunity for sustainable growth in salmon farming," Prosper's paper claims.