Vets fact-finding in Scotland

In December, BVA President, Robin Hargreaves, BVA officers, chief executive David Calpin and representatives of the BVA's Scottish Branch embarked on a visit to Scotland to meet with Scottish Branch and engage with some key stakeholders, including a fact-finding visit to learn more about the fish farming industry in Scotland and the challenges it poses for our members in aquaculture.

Howietoun fishery, a hatchery and freshwater fish farm, was started in 1881, making it probably the oldest fishery in Europe. It was acquired by the University of Stirling in 1979. Jimmy Turnbull, president of the Fish Veterinary Society, gave the delegates a presentation on the work of the fishery and on the wider fish farming industry in Scotland and worldwide, in which he explained that the export of Scottish salmon exceeds that of beef and lamb. The BVA representatives had a tour of the freshwater rearing ponds and the hatchery where they saw the hundreds of thousands of incubating salmon and trout eggs.

The next daythey moved on to see the salt water phase of salmon rearing, courtesy of Scottish Sea Farms. We took a boat out to the sea nets off the isle of Lismore and saw the sophisticated computerised feeding systems and the underwater CCTV that is monitored from a floating office to assess fish behaviour as an indicator of health.

A visit to the onshore processing plant illustrated how all fish are stunned by concussion prior to bleeding and are out of the water for less than 10 seconds before dispatch. The operation is watched over directly and by webcam, and I was impressed by the clear commitment to minimising stress and ensuring best possible welfare at slaughter.