Scottish Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing has paid tribute to Scotland’s fish farming workers for ensuring the supply of fresh salmon, trout and shellfish continues to reach UK supermarkets.
Mr Ewing acknowledged the many barriers that the coronavirus outbreak has placed in the sector’s way and the importance of the fish farming.
“Everybody involved in Scottish aquaculture has shown how important they are, continuing to deliver more than one million healthy meals to people throughout Scotland and the UK, every single day,” he said.
Julie Hesketh-Laird, chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, welcomed the public support for salmon farmers. “In this challenging situation, it is helpful to have the clarity around the essential nature of fish farming, and also heartening that the Cabinet Secretary has taken time to acknowledge the important people working to rear our world-class salmon and supply customers with healthy fish,” she said.
Ms Hesketh-Laird also outlined some of the ways in which salmon farming companies are changing operations to respect social distancing rules. Workforces have been scaled back and new rota systems introduced with staggered start and finish times. In processing plants, screens have been erected to shield workers and maintain safe distances and protective equipment and additional hygiene measures have also been introduced.
