Scottish Sea Farms and Mowi are trialling a new farm consent process aimed at bringing swifter decisions with greater community engagement.
The Scottish Aquaculture Council set up a task group to revise the existing process after a 2022 independent review commissioned by the Scottish government found the current system to be ‘complex’ and not working ‘as well as it could’.
In Shetland, Scottish Sea Farms is consolidating four existing farming consents into one expanded farm further offshore, Fish Holm, as part of plans to streamline its estate into a smaller number of farms sited in the best growing locations.
“The pre-application process will see the two main consenting regimes, namely the local authority planners and Scottish Environment Protection Agency, work together to review the submission in consultation with key stakeholders, rather than each body consider the applications separately, as currently happens,” explained Scottish Sea Farms head of sustainability Anne Anderson.
Also trialling the new process, which will apply to new and existing farms, is fellow salmon producer Mowi who will submit the second planning notification – this time to Highland Council.
Once both planning notifications have been through the new process, the task group will review its success at each stage, improving the process as necessary.
