SHELLFISH farmers face a 12% increase in the seabed charges levied by the Crown Estate. Rents will increase from 1 January 2005 following a review of shellfish payments earlier in the year.
Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, criticised the increase saying: “Shellfish farmers are already facing a difficult time. High oil prices and new health and safety regulations have added to the costs they face. The last thing they needed was for the Crown Estate to impose an increase in rent which is almost three times the rate of inflation.
“Once again it would appear that the Crown Estate has placed short term financial gain ahead of the interests of an important local industry.”
However the Crown Estate vigorously defended the shellfish farm rent increase saying that the decision was taken after a process of consultation and negotiation with the industry, producers and representative organisations.
“The 2005 rent increase is not being ‘imposed’ but has been agreed by all of the parties involved,” said a Crown Estate spokesman. “Aquaculture rents are reviewed every five years, not annually, and the seabed rent charges for oyster and scallop farms have remained unchanged since 1995 and mussel farms since 2000.
“The Crown Estate has increased rents only to keep track with inflation over the past five year period. In recognition of current industry status, the rental rate for oyster and scallop farms has been increased by only 50% of the Retail Price Index (RPI) over the last five year period. The rate for mussel farms has been increased by 12%, equivalent to the increase in the Retail Price Index. Therefore, the rent increase is not "three times the rate of inflation" as claimed by Mr Carmichael, but an inflationary increase over the review period and no more.”
The spokesman also pointed out that in Shetland, Mr Carmichael’s constituency, the Crown Estate already gives shellfish farmers a 20% discount on the agreed rental rates, to reflect the increased costs of shellfish production and transport in the Northern Isles and also gives significant rent discounts to new shellfish farmers during their start-up period.
“The Crown Estate has also invested more than £40,000 this year in Shetland, through its Marine Stewardship Fund, in a number of shellfish and marine-related projects, including the establishment of a shellfish biotoxin testing service at the North Atlantic Fisheries College and a project to identify alternative means of controlling eider ducks around shellfish farms,” continued the spokesman. “This figure is considerable more than The Crown Estate has received in rental payments from Shetland shellfish farmers over the same period.”
*www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish European Fish Trader, Fishing Monthly, Fish Farming Today, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Fishermens’ Federation Diary, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners
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