Animal Equality granted permission to challenge construction of the UK’s first fully on-land salmon mega-farm

In a bid to stop the construction of the site – put forward by start-up firm AquaCultured Seafood Ltd. – Animal Equality now intends to argue in court that the Committee’s decision to permit the site’s construction was unlawful, with Committee Members being told they could not take into account animal welfare. As a result, we believe that the highly likely catastrophic and irreversible animal welfare ramifications were not included within their decision-making process.

During the original planning meeting, Animal Equality UK’s Executive Director, Abigail Penny, warned the Committee about the risks involved:

Just like in any factory farm, in an artificial environment like this, an accidental flick of a switch can be catastrophic for the animals. Take Applecross Hatchery, for example, where 1.5 million fish died in August last year because a system failure caused the water to become too acidic. This is one of many similar recorded incidents in on-land farms.

In response, Councillor Hudson said:

Are we just going to run away from this opportunity just because somebody might flick a switch? It’s in the company’s and investors’ interests to have a clean, tidy, healthy plant, so I can’t see any problems. And if it fails we’ll rebuild something else in future.

Escalating mortality rates in on-land salmon farms 

During the same meeting, Animal Equality, joined by aquaculture expert Mark Borthwick, also highlighted a troubling rise in fish deaths in similar facilities across the UK. While no farms in the UK confine salmon in on-land cages throughout their entire lives, hatcheries using similar technologies are in operation to confine juvenile fish before they are transported into sea cages. Between January-November 2023, there were over 5.8 million reported salmon deaths in freshwater salmon farms, an increase of 43% compared to the year before. 2022 figures were a staggering 246% higher than in 2021. 

These so-called ’mass mortality events’ have also plagued on-land farms globally. In October 2023, two million fish died at an on-land facility in Norway due to gill disease. Similar incidents have also caused financial turmoil for large on-land aquaculture companies, with Atlantic Sapphire losing £350 million since 2017 due to production failures.

Environmental and local impact

Beyond animal welfare, this site has sparked environmental concerns. The proposed site for the farm is near a protected conservation area, known for its unique Wall Butterflies. Stephen Holland, a Planning Committee member, criticised the council for choosing not to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), despite objections from local residents. The farm is expected to produce as much waste as a population of 400,000 people – four and a half times the size of nearby Grimsby. The council admitted the farm would result in a ‘loss of ecology’ but proposed mitigation strategies like green and brown roofing to ‘compensate for the loss’.

While AquaCultured Seafood Ltd., the company behind the proposed mega-farm, plans to use treatment technology to manage waste discharge, there is little publicly available data on the system’s effectiveness. 

What happens next?

With the High Court granting Animal Equality permission to challenge the decision, the case will now proceed to a full Judicial Review. The court will closely examine whether the North East Lincolnshire Council’s approval of the on-land salmon mega-farm was lawful or not. Both sides will present detailed arguments and evidence, and if the court finds the decision unlawful the Council’s Planning Committee will need to reassess the planning application for the farm.

This is fantastic news for animals! Reflecting on the judge’s ruling, Abigail Penny said:

“I’m delighted that the judge listened to our arguments and saw reason. This is the first critical step in sparing millions of animals a lifetime of misery in this mega-farm.”

Edie Bowles, solicitor at Advocates for Animals – the law firm representing Animal Equality’s case alongside Alex Shattock of Landmark Chambers – added:

“Today’s case was all about proper scrutiny being given to planning decisions that pose huge risks, including to animal welfare. We are glad the judge agrees that there is an arguable case.“

This gives us a chance to fight harder than ever against this mega-farm and to do all we can to prevent it from ever operating. And you can trust that we will do everything we can to show the courts, planning officials, and the world just how much suffering this fish factory would create!

Every year we can halt or delay the start of construction helps save around a million fish from being confined to cramped, artificial tanks, where they would spend their entire lives without ever having the chance to swim in open waters.

A jigsaw piece in a larger puzzle

Our fight against this on-land salmon mega-farm is a crucial part of our broader mission to protect fish. This legal action represents just one piece of our wider efforts to safeguard these often overlooked animals.

Earlier this year, we took our concerns to Parliament, where we passionately presented to Government officials the urgent need to introduce species-specific laws for farmed fish. We are continuing to press the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a clear timeline for when our recommendations will be enacted in law.

While we do all we can to better protect the vulnerable animals trapped in this cruel system, we are also working to dismantle the system as a whole and stop its expansion – both at sea and on land. A key goal is to tackle the expansion of the Scottish salmon industry, by informing unsuspecting consumers of the harsh conditions faced by salmon in dirty, lice-infested sea cages, where one in four die on the farm before even reaching a slaughterhouse. By releasing exposés and documenting the harsh realities that these salmon endure and filing legal complaints against the industry, we are holding this industry accountable for its actions and securing widespread media coverage in the process.

You can help fish

Every year approximately 100 million fish die at the hands of the UK fish farming industry, if we take into account the fish that make it to slaughter and the ones who die before.

While we continue our fight in the media, in Parliament and in the courts, you too can help fish.

1. Choose plant-based alternatives to fish flesh

The UK aquaculture industry is desperate to grow its operations and profits – we cannot allow it. As consumers, we hold the power to stop this. The best thing you can do to help these sensitive individuals is to not eat them. And, with plenty of compassionate alternatives to salmon, including Animal Equality’s delicious plant-based smoked salmon recipe – this couldn’t be easier. Check it out on page 10 of our Love Veg cookbook today!

2. Support us with a donation

If you’re able, supporting our work through a donation would be a tremendous help. Bringing court cases, challenging laws, securing media coverage, and carrying out exposés all require funding, and we rely on the generosity of people like you to make this possible. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to victory for all animals.

Together, we can get salmon, pigs, cows, chickens and all other exploited animals out of cruel farming systems and build a plant-based world where they are respected and protected.