Seafood Scotland has been formally recognised by the EU Commission as the first-ever Inter-branch Organisation (IBO) in the UK, and one of only five across Europe. The aim of an IBO is to promote 'market efficiency and responsibility through co-operation and planning', a core activity of Seafood Scotland, for which it has now gained formal recognition.

The first step was to have the status recognised by Scottish Government, and this was achieved at the end of 2008. At the same time, the Scottish Government and Seafish committed £1.3 million of additional funding to Seafood Scotland over the next three years. Seafood Scotland will act as the delivery partner for Seafish in Scotland.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead said: "I am delighted to recognise Seafood Scotland as the UK's first ever Inter-branch Organisation, which demonstrates the Scottish Government's commitment to ensuring the sector is fully supported and can work together effectively.

"I am confident that a partnership approach between Seafish, Seafood Scotland, the Scottish Government and industry will create lasting benefits and ensure a sustainable and profitable fishing and processing industry in Scotland."

"The purpose of an Inter-branch Organisation (IBO) is to promote collaborative working within an industry and give it a collective voice that promotes the common interest. Seafood Scotland already offered this service to the Scottish fisheries sector and so in recognising them as an IBO we are in affect ratifying their current structure and ensuring that this is recognised at a European level."

Iain MacSween, Chair of Seafood Scotland is pleased that the organisation's IBO status has been formalised. "We look forward to working in close cooperation with industry, government and Seafish to further assist the seafood sector, and the 3-year funding plan will assist us considerably in this task," he stated.

< Prec.		Succ. >