This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Funding for ferrying livestock
30/01/2002
A new system for ferrying livestock from Orkney and Shetland to the Scottish mainland has received a grant of £100,000 towards design costs.
The grant will enable NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries to design a new system, involving the use of 'cassettes' carried on freight vessels, to enable livestock to be shipped more efficiently.
The move should remove the need to charter additional livestock vessels during the autumn peak season, as has been the practice in recent years.
Commenting on the award of the grant, Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, said:
"The change in the world shipping market means that we can no longer assume that suitable specialist livestock vessels will be available for charter to meet the needs of the Northern Isles. The 'cassette' system offers a solution and it is important that the design work is completed quickly so that we can satisfy ourselves that this solution is deliverable."
Welcoming the award of the grant, Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development, said:
"The agricultural industry is critical to the economies of Orkney and Shetland and it is important that we have reliable and high quality transport to get the livestock to the mainland in good condition. Once the design work is completed, my Department will consider the plans carefully and advise whether they meet the important welfare rules which cover the transportation of animals."
The grant is being awarded to NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Limited, which will take over responsibility for the main passenger services to the Northern Isles later this year. The grant is subject to the condition that the 'cassettes' will be available to all operators wishing to use them to ship livestock.
Discussions are underway with local interests in Shetland and Orkney on the practical and financial arrangements required to operate the cassette system, with a view to introducing it this autumn, if the design work demonstrates that the system will meet all the relevant requirements.