Scottish salmon farmers want licensing fees diverted to build homes

Somewhere around half the earnings created by salmon farming licenses in Scotland – at the moment some GBP 10 million (USD 12.3 million, EUR 11.6 million) yearly – will be reinvested in economical housing if a new marketing campaign released by Salmon Scotland is prosperous.

In a move to support tackle the expanding home crisis in rural locations, Salmon Scotland wants the latest procedure overhauled so the millions of pounds despatched to Crown Estate Scotland (CES) in Edinburgh are alternatively immediately ringfenced for coastal parts in which farms work.

This would echo the procedure in Norway where by rents are used to advantage area communities, it suggested.

“The farm-lifted Scottish salmon sector makes work opportunities and prosperity suitable across Scotland, but we consider our neighbors – the people today who are living closest to our salmon farms – should be the kinds who gain the most,” Salmon Scotland Chief Executive Tavish Scott mentioned.

Assessment by Salmon Scotland found that regular home rates in places wherever salmon farms function have risen additional sharply than the nationwide ordinary, even though the common time it normally takes for area councils to deliver housing guidance has soared.

Even though the farm-raised salmon sector is already one particular of the greatest non-public-sector employers in many rural areas of north and west Scotland, the shortage of housing is preventing important vacancies from being loaded and performing as a drag on the neighborhood economies it said.

Scotland’s existing licensing regime and prepared rent hikes usually means that more than GBP 20 million (USD 24.6 million, EUR 23.2 million) per year is before long expected to be paid by salmon farmers to several regulators and quangos.

At existing, salmon farming contributes a lot more than GBP 5 million (USD 6.1 million, EUR 5.8 million) immediately to CES, or much more than a fifth of the quango’s revenues, with this price set to just about double.

But CES overall revenues are anticipated to soar from GBP 26 million (USD 31.9 million, EUR 30.2 million) in 2021-22 to GBP 102 million (USD 125.3 million, EUR 118.3 million) in 2022-23 because of to ScotWind offshore licensing expenses.

Net CES revenues are at present handed to Scottish authorities and redistributed throughout the state. 

Image courtesy of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO)