Scottish Salmon Fish Farming: A Web-Based Process Tracing Analysis of Regulation and Risk Assessment Challenges Relating to Emamectin Benzoate (EmBz) Used in SLICE from Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government Sources Between 2001 and 2025

A global debate is underway about how to achieve economic growth, which has led to a push for even greater ‘better regulation’ than already exists in the US and UK, including Scotland. ‘Better regulation’ can include softer regulation, less regulation, or even deregulation. Another regulatory model involves the precautionary principle and there is tension between the two. The ‘better regulation agenda’ has influenced the environmental quality standards adopted for emamectin benzoate in Scottish sea lice treatment. To explore how these complex regulatory models have been used or advocated for and why over 25 years, a process tracing analysis focusing on Scottish Government and Parliament web entries was conducted. Such an analysis has both strengths, providing new perspectives, and weaknesses, regarding the possible quality and extent of information available. The results reveal the ‘better regulation’ model in practice was initially adopted in the 2000s, supported by Scottish Government advisors and implemented by its regulators. Gradually, however, the model was challenged, at times, by researchers, regulators, Members of the Scottish Parliament, environmental non-governmental organizations, and by investigative journalists. This resulted in new environmental quality standards on emamectin benzoate being proposed, then sometimes tightened or blocked. Hence, ‘better regulation’ remains highly influential in the sector, with the fish farming industry able to weaken precautionary policies and enforcement in practice, directly and indirectly.