Hamish Macdonell, director of strategic engagement for the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) has issued a statement on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the sector.
In the statement issued on 12 March 2020, Mr Macdonell said “Our top priority is, and always will be, the health and wellbeing of people everywhere and this includes those working in our sector and our customers. That is why we are determined to play our part in ensuring this crisis eases as quickly as possible.
“However, as the UK’s top food export, Scottish salmon is prominent in a number of key markets which are now facing restrictions – of various sorts – because of the Coronavirus outbreak. This has led to problems in getting salmon to our customers in different parts of the world, problems which are likely to get worse before they get better.
“As a result, we are working with the Scottish and UK governments and environmental regulators to keep fish in the water for longer, where this is appropriate, and looking at other measures to give our members more flexibility in dealing with these market disruptions.
“It is worth noting, however, that the UK market for salmon remains strong at the moment as customers stock up in anticipation of further restrictions at home and some of our member companies are looking actively at market substitution as a way of coping with the ongoing drop off in demand from other parts of the world.
“We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and work with the authorities to do all we can to minimise the disruption caused by this worldwide crisis.”
