The Shetland Islands Council failed to attend a Scottish parliament committee session on salmon farming last week, prompting criticism from MSPs.
According to reporting by The Shetland Times, Finlay Carson, convenor of Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, expressed “extreme disappointment” that neither Shetland Islands Council nor Highland Council took part in a roundtable discussion on “spatial planning, consenting and community benefit”.
“I want to put on record my extreme disappointment that Highland Council and Shetland Islands Council were asked to take part in this round table to give a local authority’s perspective, given how important their role is in the consenting of farms,” Carson said during the evidence session. “But neither sent any representative, so that, unfortunately, is a bit of a gap in some of the evidence we could have taken.”
The committee session formed part of follow-up work after its 2025 inquiry into Scotland’s salmon farming sector. That inquiry concluded it had “seriously considered” recommending a pause on all new salmon farms while concerns around transparency, animal welfare and environmental impact were addressed.
The latest evidence session, along with a planned public meeting with rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon, will inform the committee’s handover document to the next Scottish government, including whether its stance on a potential moratorium has shifted.
Shetland Islands Council said it received the invitation at short notice and that no staff member was available to attend.
The absence comes weeks after the council approved Fish Holm in Yell Sound, described as Britain’s largest salmon farm. The decision has drawn criticism from the Shetland Fishermen’s Association, which said it was “absolutely disappointed” by the approval, citing concerns from scallop and buckie fishermen operating in the area.
It is understood that the council’s former marine planning manager has recently left for a role within the Scottish government, though it is unclear whether the post has been filled.
Shetland accounts for up to a quarter of Scotland’s farmed salmon production. Industry estimates value the sector at around £1 billion annually to the Scottish economy, although critics argue that the figure does not fully reflect impacts on other coastal industries, including wild fisheries.
