I am very happy to be here this morning to give evidence on fisheries and agriculture.
On fisheries, we continue to focus on the day job—the crucial business-as-usual process of securing quota for the fishing fleet in the coming year. Scotland has the primary interest in many of the fisheries negotiations, and my officials have the necessary skills, knowledge and negotiating experience to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved.
It is common sense for Scotland to have a leading voice in such forums because we have the dominant interest. Many of the stocks that are being negotiated on are found predominantly in Scottish waters: for example, between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of North Sea cod live in our waters. Despite that, the United Kingdom Government often assumes that it has the primary management function for all stocks in UK waters, even Scottish waters.
We need Scottish advice for Scottish fisheries. We have most of the fish in UK waters, we have most of the relevant data, and we have a strong team of world-renowned fisheries scientists, who have more experience of our fisheries and fish stocks than scientists elsewhere have. Despite all the uncertainty that Brexit has caused, and continues to cause, we are prepared to do the best for Scotland’s fishing communities.
In March 2019, I launched “Future of fisheries management in Scotland: national discussion paper”. The aim is to develop a world-leading and sustainable fisheries management system for Scottish waters, with inclusive economic growth at its heart. All the input that we received at the discussion events is currently being analysed, and we plan to consult formally on firm proposals next year.
The Scottish Government supports sustainable aquaculture growth. The sector is dependent on the environment and makes a significant contribution to the Scottish rural economy. It also delivers positive impacts in many of our most fragile rural communities.
That said, in our response to the committee’s inquiry into salmon farming, we committed to making progress on a number of challenges that face the sector, and I updated Parliament in June on the initial actions that we are taking with regard to sea lice management and reporting. We continue to make progress in addressing challenges that were highlighted by the committee, including through the salmon interactions working group, to ensure that our policies are developed with proper consideration of the economic and environmental impacts.
Scotland has a proud history of farming and supporting the rural economy. We believe that rural areas will be disproportionately impacted by Brexit, and that remote areas will be particularly vulnerable. We will continue to support communities by releasing cash flow via the basic payment loan scheme. We have also fought long and hard for the convergence money. Access to EU markets is important, but it is threatened by Brexit.
I am getting the guillotine motion from the convener. I will respect that. I hope that there is no actual guillotine waiting for me in the questions, which—as always—I will be delighted to answer.