marinescotland

T. The Scottish
5. Government

Riaghaltas na h'Alha
Lily Christ Richards

Eyewit--

 

Our Ref: 2020/00018
31 January 2020
Dear Nb Richards

REQUEST UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (SCOTLAND)
REGULATIONS 2004 (Ele): FOISAIEIR 2020/00018

Thank you for your request of 4 November 2019 under the Environmental Information
(Scotland) Regulations 2004 (Ele).

Your reguest

You asked for the following information concerning Cabinet Secretary, Fergus Ewing MSP and
his relationship with the salmon farming industry in Scotland:

1. How many meetings the Cabinet Secretary has had with representatives of the following
salmon farming organisations since he became Cabinet Secretary in May 2016:

i The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation
ii Nhrine Harvest (now known as Nowi)
The Scottish Salmon Company

iv Scottish Sea Farms

Loch Duan Limited

vi Dawnfresh Farming Limited
vii Kames Fish Farming Limited
Greig Seafood

ix Cooke Aquaculture Scotland
Wester Ross Fisheries

This should include meetings with employees, substantial shareholders, beneficial owners and
others associated with those companies.

2. Records or minutes of any meetings held as per the request under 1 above.

    

Victoria Duay' Edinburgh EH6 600


 

 

 

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the
Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with
your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with
your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the
circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the
information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on
balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no
public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially
a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Response to your request
In the time period you specify, Mr Ewing had the following number of meetings with
representives of the companies you mention above:
Organisation/Company/Group
Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation
Marine Harvest (now known as Mowi)
Scottish Salmon Company
Scottish Sea Farms
Loch Duart Limited
Dawnfresh Farming Limited
Kames Fish Farming Limited
Greig Seafood
Cooke Aquaculture Scotland
Wester Ross Fisheries
AILG
Farmed Fin Fish Summit
Total

Meetings
4
6
3
2
1
6
0
2
1
0
10
1
36

The agendas and action points of the Aquaculture Industry Liaison Group (AILG) are available
at https://aquaculture.scot/news-updates/. Under regulation 6(1) (b) of the EIRs, we do not
have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you
in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this
information from the website above, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper
copy.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish
Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Therefore we are
refusing part of your request under the exception at regulation 10(4) (a) of the EIRs. The
reasons why that exception applies are explained in the Annex to this letter.

Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
www.scotland.gov.uk/marinescotland



 Your right to a Review

If you are unhappy with this response to your information request you may ask us to carry out
an internal review of the response by writing to Director, Marine Scotland, Area GB Nonh,
\fictoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 600, or by email directormarinescotland@govscot . Your
review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made
within 40 working days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the
review and tell you the result, within 20 working days from the date when we receive your
review request.

If you are not satisfied with result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the
Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC). More detailed information on your appeal rights is
available on the Commissioner's website at:



ssioner.asgx .

Yours sincerely

Aquaculture Health and Welfare

ANNEX A

REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION
Exception 10 (4) 

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4) of the Ele (information not held),
the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not hold.

This exception is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the
circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the
information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on
balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. While we recognise that
there may be some public interest in information about meetings between Mr Ewing and the
aquaculture industry, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.

Victoria Duay, Edinburgh EH6 600

govuk/marinescotland 5" i

 

 

 

 

 

 

$014001 ?g 2
. . . {"13 
Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ 1 .56 
Mme he