The production of fish is the production of food. Food that we should all eat more of, which is climate-friendly, healthy and, not least, it’s good. Our seafood is an important part of our common food preparation, both in Norway and for the world. When we are going to sell seafood from Norway and at the same time work to ensure that more people choose food from the sea on their plate, it is crucial that we know that the fish has been well while it was alive. Recently, we have seen strong images from breeding cages. The pictures make an impression on me – as I think it does on most people. I do not think that what we have now seen is a picture of how all the country’s breeders operate on a daily basis. Firstly, it is bad business for the companies, and many millions of healthy salmon meals would not have been produced every day along our coast. But I am not comfortable with 15 percent of the fish dying during the period it is in the sea. After all, there are around 50 million fish per year in Norway. It is obvious that if mortality was halved, there could be a lot of food and, not least, good incomes. Many breeders today manage to produce with lower mortality over time. These must obviously be doing something right that others are not doing. It is something that those with a higher proportion of dead fish in the cages should look to in order to improve and to learn. That such large quantities of salmon die in the cages is not acceptable, believes the fisheries minister. The picture shows dead salmon in one of the farms inspected by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Photo: The Norwegian Food Safety Authority As a minister, I am responsible for ensuring that we have a set of regulations and administration that will give the industry a good reputation – as long as the regulations are followed. If the regulations are not followed, be it fish suffering due to the effects of salmon lice, or if you do not notify the Norwegian Food Safety Authority immediately, when the regulations say immediately, then the industry itself must take the consequences of this. It is the Norwegian Food Safety Authority that has been given responsibility for making sure that the fish are doing well, through supervision of fish health and welfare. I fully support them in their work. If it is possible, they cannot just come for notified inspections. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority must also be able to inspect the facilities without warning. I have little understanding of criticism of unannounced inspections. It is absolutely necessary. It is equally necessary to welcome them with open arms. The aquaculture industry must not forget that when you get permission to use parts of our sea, coast and fjords, it is a permission to make use of the community’s resources. In many places, it is also not without conflict when land is set aside for aquaculture. Therefore, you are completely dependent on acceptance from society to operate. It is trust that you gain that takes a long time to build up, but a short time to break down. Right now, three important processes are being worked on in the government, all of which will have an impact on fish health and welfare in the years to come. We have received important proposals from the Aquaculture Committee, which are now out for consultation. We are working on a new policy on animal welfare that will be submitted to the Storting. We are working on the follow-up of the National Audit Office’s report on the authorities’ work with fish health and fish welfare in the aquaculture industry. I have a clear ambition that these three processes will contribute to us having a better regulatory framework that will contribute to better fish health and fish welfare, and which can lay the foundation for sustainable growth and a good reputation for the important industry aquaculture is for Norway. I want the aquaculture industry to continue to develop, create jobs and value along our coast and ensure good and sustainable food for the world. That is why I am so concerned about reputation and trust. A good reputation is often the result of the work that all the actors do together. The industry must move in the same direction. People are making ever higher demands. Requirements for the industry to take active environmental responsibility, for animal welfare to be taken seriously and for the industry to act in an open, honest and unvarnished manner.
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We shouldn’t have it this way – Speech
