Holyrood Committee releases findings on Scottish salmon farming inquiry
The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has released its findings from a follow-up inquiry into the country’s salmon farming industry. The inquiry, conducted between June and October 2024, examined the progress made since the 2018 review that exposed the devastating impact of the industry on both animals and the environment. Animal Equality closely followed this inquiry, submitting evidence and providing facts to Committee members to highlight the ongoing suffering of fish trapped in Scotland’s salmon farms and the industry’s lack of accurate or transparent record keeping.
A crisis ignored
For years, Animal Equality has documented the suffering endured by salmon in Scotland’s sea cages. Our exposés have revealed salmon gasping for air, ravaged by parasites, and suffering from severe wounds. Millions die long before they even reach the slaughterhouse – approximately one in four fish, according to official figures.
The crisis was first acknowledged by the Scottish Government in 2017, leading to an inquiry that culminated in 2018 with 65 urgent recommendations for reform. Yet, despite these recommendations, the industry has only grown, and the extreme suffering of fish continues to be a serious problem. The number of salmon who died on farms between January – October 2024 was approximately 2.6 times higher than that of the same period in 2018. Animal Equality’s undercover footage continues to garner mainstream media attention, and even aired on BBC Countryfile in 2023, exposing salmon so severely afflicted by disease that their flesh literally hangs from their bodies.
Findings of the 2024 inquiry
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee’s latest report acknowledges the Scottish Government’s failure to enforce meaningful improvements in salmon farming regulation. The Committee concluded:
The slow rate of progress in improving the regulation and enforcement of the Scottish salmon farming industry needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Despite this recognition, the Committee stopped short of recommending a moratorium – a halt on the industry’s expansion – despite serious consideration of such a measure. Instead, it issued its strongest demands yet for the Scottish Government to action, calling for:
- Stronger leadership and a clear timetable to be provided setting out how both the outstanding 2018 recommendations, and its own recommendations, will be implemented within the next year.
- A plan for measuring implementation.
- Dedicated ministerial oversight of the workstream involved to drive delivery.
The Committee stated it will review progress in one year and may make further recommendations at that time.
Committee Convener Finlay Carson MSP admitted that “further progress should have been made”, while Mark Borthwick, OOCDTP Doctoral Fellow and fish expert, argued:
It’s clear that the committee has been sold a false vision of salmon farms being critical to the Highland economy. Since 2013, the salmon farming industry has only created 300 jobs.
What does this mean for fish?
It is encouraging to see the Committee take a stronger stance on both the industry and the Scottish Government. They have clearly considered the evidence presented by Animal Equality and others.
With a one-year deadline for reform, we will do everything in our power to hold the industry accountable – continuing to expose the suffering of salmon and encouraging Members of the Scottish Parliament to take action.
For decades, Scotland’s salmon farming industry has wreaked havoc on fish, wildlife, and the environment. This official report reaffirms that the industry remains in crisis, with overwhelming evidence of mass animal deaths, lice infestations, and deadly disease outbreaks. These are the markers of an industry on its knees.
Abigail Penny, Executive Director – Animal Equality UK
The people of Scotland will not accept more empty promises – nor will we. This must be the industry’s last chance.
Take action
Like all animals, fish feel pain and joy – they want to live. Yet the Scottish salmon industry continues to treat them as nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet.
When Animal Equality exposed workers at Scottish Sea Farms removing 250 fish from a sea pen ahead of a fact-finding visit by MSPs, the industry dismissed it as routine. Dr. Ralph Bickerdike, Head of Fish Health and Welfare at Scottish Sea Farms, claimed the workers were simply carrying out their duties. But the truth is clear: the industry is prioritising profits and jobs at the cost of immense suffering.
Enough is enough. We must keep the pressure on for fish. The most powerful thing you can do is choose plant-based alternatives – and if you haven’t already, sign our petition calling on the Scottish Government to halt the expansion of this cruel industry.
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