SALMON DEALER LICENSING (Hansard, 6 February 1990)

§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sanderson of Bowden)

Our proposals for schemes of salmon dealer licensing in Scotland and in England and Wales, set out in the consultation papers issued last July, attracted responses from a wide range of interests. The Government have considered most thoroughly these responses as well as the benefits —in relation to the costs and other burdens involved —which these schemes might bring to continuing efforts to combat poaching.

As was explained in the consultation paper, the Government's principal objective was to reduce trade in unlawfully taken salmon with as little disruption and control of the lawful trade as practicable. The proposed schemes took account of the previous round of consultations and sought to achieve the best practicable balance between the possible benefits and the regulatory effort and cost 830WA which would be required. In particular, it was proposed that the schemes should apply to all salmon and sea trout, including farmed and imported fish, but would exempt final sales by hoteliers, restaurateurs or retailers of fish which they had obtained from licensed dealers.

Many who favoured salmon dealer licensing in principle argued that the schemes would not be effective with the range of exemptions that we had proposed. Some interests felt that salmon dealer licensing would work effectively only if compulsory carcase tagging (for which there is no present legislative provision) was also introduced. On the other hand, fish farmers and many fish traders took the view that the schemes, even with the proposed exemptions, imposed an excessive and inappropriate regulatory burden on trade in legally obtained, and particularly farmed or imported, fish.

The Government recognise that the proposed exemptions could undermine the potential effectiveness of the scheme. The scheme would have had to apply to dealers importing salmon and, because wild salmon and farmed salmon are virtually indistinguishable except under forensic conditions, to farmed salmon too. It became clear that the proposed scheme would impose a heavy burden on many businesses even with the proposals for exemptions and for record-keeping requirements kept to a minimum. For many traders and markets the record-keeping requirements, in particular, would pose virtually insurmountable difficulties. Accordingly, it has now been decided not to proceed further with these schemes for licensing of dealers.

The Government, however, view most seriously the problem of salmon poaching, as do district salmon fishery boards in Scotland, and the National Rivers Authority in England and Wales and police authorities. Considerable use has been made of the additional powers introduced in the Salmon Act 1986 to make it illegal to possess or handle fish which had been obtained in suspicious circumstances. Substantial resources will continue to be committed by district boards and the DAFS Fishery Protection Service in Scotland and the National Rivers Authority in England and Wales to enforcement at the point of capture or attempted capture. Further consideration is being given to a proposed scheme of salmon tagging which the River Tweed Commissioners have been drawing up as a measure of local river-bank management.