Member

I say to the Minister: please think again; please accept this tiny amendment, which could make a huge difference to the wild population and to the conduct of the salmon farms. We should remember that those farms are producing food that is eaten on a substantial scale now. Therefore, the way in which those salmon farms are managed, the chemicals that are used on them and the consequences of overstocking for the fish are important. I shall give a recent example. I am not repeating myself; I did not give this example earlier. A select committee from the Scottish Parliament was due to visit a farm in Scotland but, unfortunately for them, activists filmed thousands of dead fish being dumped prior to the visit by those important parliamentarians. No doubt that was entirely coincidental, but we are dealing here with an industry where the death rate among the fish can be anything from 25% to 40%. So this is about not just environmental issues but animal welfare issues. I beg to move.