Fines for polluters must hit harder, but let's get the targets right.

It’s frustrating seeing the state of some of our rivers. Last month near Elgin, there was a stretch of the Lossie that just looked wrong, a bit lifeless. You hear about companies getting away with it, paying a slap on the wrist fine that’s just a cost of doing business for them. It’s not good enough for Scotland’s environment, or for our reputation as a country that cares about quality.

The idea of linking penalties to profits has merit. For big multinational food and drink firms, that could mean something. But we need to be careful. A percentage of global profit might not sting a company that only has a small operation here but pollutes one of our specific burns. We should look at penalties tied to revenue or assets within Scotland, or even better, the cost of proper remediation and ecological restoration of the affected area.

We export so much of our finest produce and drink.