Hans J Marter

25 March, 2009

THE SCOTTISH government yesterday (Tuesday) announced a £1.5 million support package to help small and medium sized companies affected by the recent outbreak of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) in Shetland.

However compensation is not being offered for ISA affected fish stocks, drawing criticism from David Sandison, the general manager of industry body Shetland Aquaculture.

"It is an appalling situation,” Mr Sandison said. “The companies affected are issued with a compulsory stock slaughter order and the financial hit they are taking is enormous.

"The position is entirely discriminatory. There is absolutely no difference between outbreaks of foot and mouth or bird flu, when the government spent millions of pounds in compensation, and ISA in salmon."

He added that he was pleased to see that compensation for the smaller companies caught up in the outbreak had been made available with some speed.

Among the companies in Shetland due to receive financial support is QA fish, a small company farming organic sea trout, which was only formed in April last year.

The family owned business was facing an uncertain future after its healthy stock of 220,000 trout smolts were caught up in ISA movement restrictions and are in the process of being slaughtered as part of a "welfare-driven cull".

Yesterday managing director Gordon Johnson said the outbreak of ISA in the south west of Shetland is costing his company a year's production and will push them out of the market for 12 months.

He added that he was grateful for the government to compensate at least for the value of the stock lost.

"We are pleased that the Scottish government has seen fit to offer compensation to assist us through this difficult period.

“Due to the measures imposed, our small family-owned business was facing a very uncertain future, which this assistance will go some way to alleviate," he said.

Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham said European Fisheries Fund resources would also be made available to other small and medium-sized enterprises such as those which were due to sell smolts into the affected area. The details of this scheme will be announced shortly.

"Salmon farming is a vital part of the economy in many remote and rural communities in Scotland. The industry supports about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in Scotland, including those in salmon processing, and its output has a value of about £324 million.

"It is therefore vital that we do all we can to support the industry through the difficulties caused by the ISA outbreak.

"We have decided to focus our support on those small and medium-sized enterprises which are least able to endure an occurrence such as this," she said.

Shetland Islands Council will also assist local businesses. The council vice convener Josie Simpson said: "The aquaculture industry is a very important part of the Shetland economy and we will work with the Scottish government to support the businesses which operate in Shetland."

ISA was first discovered at the beginning of the year on a Scottish Sea Farms site near Hildasay, off Scalloway. A further two sites belonging to Hjaltland Seafarms in the area were confirmed as carrying the virus on 30 January and on 20 March.