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Animal Concern Advice Line News

Maurice Golden MSP Question for Fergus Ewing

November 24th 2017: Wearing his Save Our Seals Fund sou´wester John Robins has been trying to get the Scottish Government to publish details of what chemicals and medicines salmon have been exposed to prior to escaping into the wild from Scottish salmon farms. The Government collects the information but does not make it public alongside other details of escape incidents.

Maurice Golden MSP took it up with the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for aquaculture and it looks like his intervention has done the trick.

You can read his question and the answer given by Fergus Ewing:

November 23rd 2017

Index Heading: Economy

Maurice Golden (West Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party) — To ask the Scottish Government for what reason information on treatments administered to farmed salmon, and for which the fish are in a withdrawal period as detailed in Schedule 1C of The Aquatic Animal Health (Miscellaneous Modifications) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, at the time of their escape must be provided by fish farmers on escape initial notification forms, when it is not published on the Scotland's aquaculture website along with other information provided on the forms.

S5W–12624

Fergus Ewing: Scottish Government requires that fish farms submit information on treatments administered to farmed fish for which they are in withdrawal, in addition to site disease information and mortality rates, in order to inform the fish health inspectorate of fish health at the time of escape. Scottish Government is considering adapting its current publication system to include this information. The risk to the public of consuming treated escaped farmed salmon is negligible.