§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the procedures adopted in Norway to deal with infectious salmon anaemic outbreaks. [71439]
§ Mr. MacdonaldISA has been present in Norway since the mid–1980s, and new outbreaks of the disease have persisted in recent years. The Norwegian authorities require fish to be withdrawn from sea cages when a specified level of mortality has been reached. In other respects their controls are similar to those applied in the UK, notably the requirement for infected farms to be fallowed for up to 6 months. The Secretary of State continues to believe that the eradication of the current outbreak of ISA in Scottish waters is a realistic and desirable objective, and current measures are directed to that end, in line with EU legislation. The Norwegian authorities have been very helpful in offering information and advice, and regular contact is being maintained.
From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.