After raising their concerns last week over the UK government’s policies on immigration and the implications for the seafood industry, Jimmy Buchan of the Scottish Seafood Association has been assured that the government is aware of the potential hazards a points-based system could have for a range of industries.
The Scottish Seafood Association and the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation had already highlighted the dependence of the processing sector on overseas labour and stressed the importance of ensuring that businesses were able to be fully staffed to deal with the growth in seafood volumes from January 2021.
SSA chief executive Jimmy Buchan met Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Ross along with other food sector representatives in Elgin this week.
‘He made it clear that he is very much on this and will engage with the immigration minister to make sure that our sector’s voice and Scotland’s voice is heard loud and clear,’ Jimmy Buchan said following the meeting.
‘We are concerned that these proposals, as drafted, could hinder the production and processing of Scottish salmon,’ said Julie Hesketh-Laird, Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation
‘We are seeking urgent meetings with UK Government ministers to find ways of making these plans work better for our sector.’
According to Jimmy Buchan, the government’s immigration plans could severely impede growth following the UK’s departure from the Common Fisheries Policy.
‘At the point of expansion, we need ministers to allow scope for recruitment of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour as they are all vital to the viability of the sector,’ he said.
‘We will take our case to the UK Government in the coming days and weeks.’
