Infectious Salmon Anaemia (Hansard, 11 November 1998)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel)
My Lords, under European legislation confirmation of the presence of ISA disease requires appropriate eradication measures. These include the clearance of sites, slaughter of fish, disinfection of the farm and fallowing for at least six months prior to re-stocking. In addition, rigorous movement restrictions are being imposed on farms within areas of high risk and a major programme of inspections carried out. Testing of wild stocks for the presence of ISA is also under way.

§ Lord Nickson
My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister, as I am always, for the care with which he attends to all matters to do with salmon. Regrettably, I was unable to be present during the short debate on 27th October, although I have read all of the Minister's remarks in the Official Report. He indicated then the degree of resource that was being devoted to inspection. Does the Minister agree that had the Government accepted one of the recommendations of the Scottish Strategy Task Force that there should be a more rigorous and independent regime of inspection this disease might have been prevented in the first place? Further, whatever the methods of eradication, can he assure the House that continuing resources for independent inspection will now be put in place for the foreseeable future to ensure that even more virulent diseases from Norway do not cross the North Sea?

§ Lord Sewel
My Lords, to reply to the second question, we now have 17 fish health inspectors deployed on the ground and a further 18 scientific staff involved in the diagnosis of the disease. We shall maintain that level of resource for as long as is necessary to get on top of this particular infection. As to the noble Lord's first question, I am genuinely unsure whether anything that we could have done by way of inspection would have prevented the disease from coming here. However, as soon as it was reported to the department my officials reacted quickly and effectively.

§ Baroness Carnegy of Lour
My Lords, does the Minister agree that despite the fact that live fish brought to Scotland must be accompanied by a health certificate, transport in the tank of a well-boat imposes great stress on them which in turn allows hitherto undetected disease 753 to develop? Since this disease is endemic in Norway, should transport by well-boat to Scotland be abolished altogether?

§ Lord Sewel
My Lords, there is no movement of live fish from Norway to Scotland. As to well-boats, I have set up a government and industry technical working group and asked it to look at the whole issue as a matter of urgency. As soon as I receive its report I shall be prepared to consider legislation when the need is made out.

§ Lord Stanley of Alderley
My Lords, as the majority of these fish farms are, as I understand it, Norwegian and Norway is not a member of the European Union, can the Minister say whether their hygiene regulations are as strict as ours?

§ Lord Sewel
My Lords, the hygiene regulations that apply to fish farms in Scotland do not vary according to the ownership of the fish farms. Whether they are Norwegian, Scottish or anybody else's fish farms they are subject to the same regulatory regime.

§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish
My Lords, while I accept that fish from a suspect site in which the disease is thought to be present, because of the way in which the salmon are behaving, but has not been confirmed cannot be moved other than to market, is there not a severe danger that salmon may escape and spread the infection to other sites or into the wild population? Further, can the noble Lord assure the House that we shall not go down the same road as the Norwegians and describe this disease as endemic and stop trying to eradicate it and therefore see it spread to all our fish farms to their detriment, with the possibility of spreading it to the wild stock to its detriment?

§ Lord Sewel
My Lords, I suppose that it is theoretically possible that escapees from a disease site can act as a means of communicating the disease. I do not believe that there is any point in seeking to deny that. But we have not had a new confirmed outbreak since, I believe, 10th September and it has been possible to establish site-by-site contact with all the infected farms.
We are committed to the policy of eradication. I think that we still stand a good chance of being able to knock the virus on the head and to rid our waters of the disease. That is where we are putting the resource; and that is what is driving policy.

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, if movement from suspect farms to market is allowed, is there any danger to people who eat fish from those farms?

§ Lord Sewel
My Lords, all the scientific advice I have received is that there is no danger to people. They are not eating the diseased fish. Companies are allowed to market fish from the same fish farm. The virus cannot 754 replicate itself at temperatures above 24 degrees centigrade. That means that it cannot replicate within the human body.