Looking back, thinking ahead: Anne Anderson
Fish Farming Expert has asked well-known figures in the Scottish salmon farming industry about their high and low points of 2019, and what they hope for in 2020.Today we feature Anne Anderson, sustainability director for the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO).
What was your best moment / occasion of 2019?
There’s no one thing I’d like to single out as a ‘best moment’. Rather, it’s a collective of those moments when you meet people working in the industry, often out at a remote farm on a rain-drenched day, and see just how dedicated and passionate they are about the sector they work in and the animals they care for. That realisation of the shared support and growing confidence in the sector is a fantastic reminder of why I love the job I do.
And what was the worst?
The worst moments are when you see the sector being treated unfairly and misrepresented, which can be extremely detrimental to individuals involved, the communities they work in and the success of the sector overall. An inaccurate comment, judgement or decision can take months to try to correct and can potentially limit the sector’s ambitions to strive for excellence.
What's the one thing you'd most like to see happen to benefit salmon farming in 2020?
As a key sector for Scotland, helping to deliver the country’s wider ambitions, I’d like to see greater certainty for salmon farmers. That would allow the sector to better innovate, flourish and set a new agile course to overcome future challenges, embrace new concepts and become world-leading, not just for the product but for the way and for the environment in which those salmon are grown.
Tomorrow: Alan Tinch, technical services director of Benchmark Genetics Ltd.
