Written Question · S7W-02964 · Session 7
What assessment it has made of the adequacy of its July 2025 guidance in implementing recommendations 96, 98 to 101, 106 and 107 of the Ani…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of its July 2025 guidance in implementing recommendations 96, 98 to 101, 106 and 107 of the Animal Welfare Committee's 2023 updated opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing; which of those recommendations it considers to have been fully implemented through guidance; what further measures it plans to introduce to provide species-specific, enforceable protections for farmed fish at slaughter, including requirements relating to stunning, inspection, enforcement and CCTV, and by what date it will introduce equivalent protections for farmed trout.
The answer
The Scottish Government’s guidance on Welfare at the Time of Killing in Salmon Farming, published on 17 July 2025, is based on the recommendations made by the UK Government's Animal Welfare Committee and developed in conjunction with the Scottish farmed salmon industry, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and animal welfare organisations.Currently all salmon killing facilities operate CCTV on a voluntary basis.Scottish Government officials are members of the trout working group, consisting of representatives from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the other devolved administrations and the trout industry, to develop industry-led guidance. However, at this time we do not have a date for the completion of this work.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S7W-02964 by reference.