12 June, 2007

SCOTLAND'S new fishing minister headed to Luxembourg yesterday (Monday) for his first round of talks on fish quotas with European ministers.

Richard Lochhead has called for Scotland to lead the talks at the annual Fisheries Council for the whole of Britain.

However yesterday Shetland MSP Tavish Scott said Mr Lochhead needed to focus his attention on key "bilateral" talks with individual member states prior to the big Council meetings, as his predecessor Ross Finnie had done.

Speaking after yesterday's talks, Mr Lochhead said the meeting had been a "valuable experience" and that he had received a "warm welcome" from Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg and the other ministers.

He added that he had constructive meetings with UK environment secretary David Miliband and UK fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw about how they would work together "more effectively".

He also brought Scottish Fisheries Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong to the talks with him to ensure the fishermen had a direct voice at the council table.

Mr Armstrong welcomed his involvement, saying: "My presence here represents the first steps in closer co-operation between the industry and the process of its management.

"The agenda of this Council, vital as it is, is in many ways less important than these first moves that have been made in creating the future framework of a closer working relationship between fishermen and the Scottish government.

"Such a relationship will see the industry contributing and influencing the process which will determine its future."

However Shetland MSP Tavish Scott warned that Mr Lochhead would be judged on his achievements rather than his posturing.

Mr Scott commented on the fact that scientists were once again calling for a complete ban on cod fishing in the North Sea, even while Shetland's white fish industry was looking more buoyant than for many years.

"This week the new minister must get down to the real job of representing the industry and making progress on the vital issues that confront fishing," Mr Scott said.

Last week the isles MSP called on Mr Lochhead to confirm he would lead the UK's bilateral negotiations with other EU states, as his predecessor Ross Finnie had done.

Yesterday Mr Scott added: "I was concerned that Mr Lochhead was not able to confirm that he would continue to lead in the key bilateral talks with other states, where Scottish interests are at stake, as Ross Finnie did. I do hope he did that this week at his first Fisheries Council in Luxembourg.

"The SNP has trumpeted their demand to lead for the UK in the main Council talks, a demand which has been flatly turned down in London, rather than concentrating on the key negotiations. These are the bilateral negotiations between individual pairs of states, where agreements are reached which are carried forward into the main meeting. These are the key meetings.

"Mr Lochhead has to realise how the Fisheries Council meetings work, and where the most important deals are done. He is wasting his time fighting to be the UK figurehead and my fear is that, as a result, he will miss out on the job that matters most, leading for Scotland in the key bilateral talks. I really hope he will prove that my fears are groundless, but I am disturbed that he was not able to reassure me on this at Question Time last week."