The Council of the Republic approved the bill “On aquaculture”: fish farming will receive state support

Today, on October 7, at a meeting of the fifth session of the Council of the Republic of the eighth convocation, members of the Council of the Republic approved the draft law “On aquaculture” (fish farming). This is a fundamentally new document for the national legal system, aimed at creating favorable conditions for breeding and growing fish in artificial reservoirs.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Yuri Gorlov reported on the key approaches and novelties of the bill to the members of the Council of the Republic. He noted that the bill was designed to establish the legal and organizational basis for fish farming, protect the rights and interests of legal entities and individuals conducting such activities:

- A new conceptual framework is being introduced. The bill establishes the basic principles of aquaculture, taking into account the environmental, social and economic interests of the state, the natural features of the territories, as well as the need to plan and carry out activities without causing harm to the environment.

The draft law enshrines the powers of the President of Belarus to determine a single state policy, the Council of Ministers to ensure it, the Ministry of Agriculture - on general regulation in the field of aquaculture, as well as local executive and administrative bodies - on its implementation on the ground. Also defined types of aquaculture depending on the purpose (commodity and recreation), methods (industrial, pond, pasture) implementation.

Yuri Gorlov stressed that the adoption of this document will ensure legal regulation of the work of existing and created industries, establish the legal and organizational framework for the activities of all business entities in the field of aquaculture and will contribute to the development of international cooperation in this area.

The co-rapporteur on the issue from the Council of the Republic was the Chairman of the Standing Commission on Regional Policy and Local Self-Government Leonid Zayats. He added:

- An important step was the classification of commercial fish farming as agro-industrial production, which gives business entities access to government support measures. In addition, the bill creates a regulatory framework for the implementation of the President’s order to build eight modern industrial complexes by 2035, which will significantly increase the production of trout and other valuable fish products.