Inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland concludes that urgent progress is needed

Farmed salmon

Last week, the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee published the findings of an inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland, based on evidence collected between June and October 2024. This was is a follow-up to a previous, somewhat damning report into the sector from 2018.

Five years ago, the Committee concluded that, if the industry is to grow, the “status quo” in terms of current regulation and enforcement is not acceptable, and meaningful action is needed to address the environmental and welfare concerns in the industry. This more recent inquiry was intended to see what progress had been made in the industry.

The 2024 inquiry was spread across four key themes; fish health and welfare, environmental impacts, interactions between wild and farmed salmon, and salmon farm consents and planning. As part of the inquiry, the RAI Committee took evidence from academics, industry, the Scottish Government, environmental NGOs and CCN.

According to the report, the RAI Committee seriously considered recommending a moratorium on the growth of the industry due to the industry’s high mortality rates, but stopped short of this due to concerns around the impact on jobs and communities.

They concluded that, while there have been some improvements since the previous inquiry, the pace of progress has been very slow, and issues around environmental and welfare concerns in the sector need to be addressed “as a matter of urgency”. These include better regulation around discharges of waste, reporting of fish mortalities, and the welfare of farmed fish.

It also calls on the Scottish Government and regulatory bodies to show stronger leadership in addressing the issues with salmon farming, and to set out a clear timeline to implement improvements in the sector. The report concludes with a commitment to revisiting progress made on the issues raised in the report in one year’s time.

CCN’s views were fairly well represented in the report, with the network being quoted several times. In particular, our concerns around fish welfare, sea lice, and unacceptably high mortality figures were highlighted as significant issues that the industry, regulatory bodies, and the Scottish Government need to address.

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