Scottish government must do more to control salmon farming, inquiry finds
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Report criticises ‘slow progress’ on industry regulation, amid record fish mortality and concerns over welfare and environmental pollution. The Scottish government has been criticised for its “slow progress” on regulating the salmon farming industry by a parliamentary inquiry that took evidence for five months before reaching its conclusion.
The report reveals that MSPs “seriously considered” calling for a moratorium on new farms and expansion of existing sites due to concerns over persistently high salmon mortality rates but did not do so due to uncertainties over the impact on jobs and communities.
The report called for “stronger leadership” and an immediate timetable from the Scottish government to address concerns over the long-term viability of salmon farming in Scotland, and for this to be overseen by a minister within a year. Farmed Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest global food export, worth £645m a year. The industry provides 2,500 direct jobs in sparsely populated islands and rural communities and estimates suggest it supports 10,000 further jobs in the wider supply chain.
The inquiry comes amid a record level of mortalities at Scottish salmon farms, which has fuelled increased scrutiny over fish welfare and environmental pollution. In 2023, an unprecedented 17.4 million salmon died on farms before harvesting, exceeding 2022’s 17.2 million mortalities. In the same year, salmon farming had the lowest production for decades, according to the Scottish government fish farm production survey, published in October.
