Scottish salmon farmers: No evidence links COVID-19 to food imports into China
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Julie Hesketh-Laird, chief executive officer of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organization (SSPO), will step down from her position in September, saying it a good time to move on as the "sector emerges from the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis."

Hesketh-Laird has been leading the trade body since 2018, where she strengthened relationships between SSPO and the salmon farming sector with important stakeholders such as the government, regulators and environmental organizations.

The Scottish salmon sector has shown resilience in its operations during the pandemic, but second-quarter export figures will likely be lower than pre-coronavirus estimations, necessitating the much-needed support to restart export sales, SSPO recently said.

In total, Scottish salmon exports plummeted 40 percent in volume in the first quarter to 13,600 metric tons, while export value decreased 34 percent to £100 million (€113 million/$122 million) against last year.