Misleading figures on fish farms were ‘cynical’

The recent article (Data sheds light on fish farms’ negative impact, Sep 14) about fish farming was misleading.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has dismissed the selective and misleading figures about seabed conditions circulated by the Salmon & Trout Association. Official data from SEPA’s Compliance Assessment Scheme reveals (Sep 4) high levels of performance — 87% of farms operated to an “excellent” or “good” standard.

The use of approved veterinary medicines can go up and down, but the current usage is well within the limits set by the regulator.

The deliberate and cynical manipulation of official figures by anti-fish farming campaigners is designed to threaten job creation in a sector that supports more than 2,100 direct jobs, created more than 500 jobs in the last three years, is Scotland’s largest food export and continues to defy the current economic gloom. The reality is that salmon farming in Scotland has a rigorous regulatory system which demands extremely high standards of environmental performance.

Scott Landsburgh

Chief executive Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation Perth,

Scotland