The expansion of an unsustainable industry: Why is salmon farming still going?
On March 25th, 2026, animal activists once again took to the Scottish Parliament, accompanied by conservationists and local community representatives, following the release of a scathing letter from the Scottish Government’s Rural Affairs and Island (RAI) Committee, which concluded that the salmon farming industry is not “future-proofed” and action is not occurring with the urgency needed.
Our peaceful protest involved a procession and a ‘die in’ to represent the tens of millions of fish dying under the industry’s watch every year in underwater sea cages.
The demonstration reflects growing concerns that Scottish salmon farming is cruel and unsustainable.
Today’s letter to the Scottish Government follows a former inquiry conducted in 2018 by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, which arose due to environmental concerns over the Scottish salmon farming industry and resulted in 65 recommendations being issued.
In a follow-up nine-month inquiry, the RAI Committee published a report in early 2025 stating worries over the ‘long-term viability’ of the industry, arguing that progress had not been made over the 2018 recommendations and confirming that it expected urgent progress to be made within 12 months.
Those 12 months have now passed, and once again the Committee has agreed that progress has been insufficient.
[The Committee is] disappointed that across key areas of its inquiry recommendations, progress in future-proofing the salmon farming industry has not occurred with the urgency called for one year ago.
— Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, Scottish Government, 2025
Issues and breaches
In 2025, the salmon farming industry had alarming issues concerning animal welfare, the environment and transparency.
The industry reported 12 million on-farm deaths, yet this figure does not capture the full scale of suffering, since it excludes “cleanerfish” – animals bred or caught from the wild and placed in the cages to eat the lice and parasites on farmed salmon. Death rates also fail to include the fish who die before reporting thresholds are reached, those who perish in the first six weeks at sea, and those who die during transport.
Not only are a huge number of animals dying, but the industry’s use of toxic chemicals is on the rise. Animal Equality discovered that the industry’s use of formaldehyde – a known carcinogen – increased by 40% in 2025 compared to 2024. The industry also reported 47 major non-compliances to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and logged over 1,200 breaches of the industry’s lice Code of Good Practice.
The suffering of the fish in these farms has been exposed during investigations published by Animal Equality and others, revealing fish missing part of their bodies, covered in lice, deformed or blind. Footage has also shown fish being punched to death or slowly suffocating. Another site was falsely declared ‘fallow’ (empty), but footage obtained by Animal Equality revealed that dozens of fish were abandoned and left to starve in underwater cages. Amidst a growing reputational crisis for this industry, the King decided to revoke the Royal Warrant from the biggest salmon farming company, Mowi.
Calls for Expansion to Stop
The Committee’s latest report strengthens the case for halting further industry growth.
Abigail Penny, Executive Director of Animal Equality UK, said:
For years, communities living beside these lochs have been told that change is coming. Since 2018, multiple Scottish Government advisory committees have sounded the alarm, yet this destructive industry continues to use carcinogenic chemicals, allow millions of fish to perish from sea lice and disease, and operate with near total impunity. It has had its chances and squandered every one of them, so it’s no surprise that public confidence is collapsing.
As our waters continue to warm, the death toll will only rise. All roads lead to one clear conclusion: halt all industry expansion immediately. The industry has had its time. That time is up.
What is next?
With fish mortality remaining at alarming levels, continued environmental compliance failures, and growing public demonstrations outside the Scottish Parliament, pressure is mounting on Scottish Government decision-makers to take urgent action.
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