Scotland’s Farmed Salmon Deserves Attention

Salmon farms certified as organic have to adhere to certain standards. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Scotland has been moving in the right direction in other ways, so this call for action in an area where they have not been leading with best practices is worthy of attention. Thanks to the Guardian’s Karen McVeigh for providing it:

‘Unacceptable greenwashing’: Scottish farmed salmon should not be labelled organic, say charities

Open letter calls for Soil Association certification to be removed from industry, amid concerns of negative environmental impact

The British body that certifies food in the UK as organic has been accused of misleading consumers over its labelling of Scottish farmed salmon.

Thirty charities, conservation and community organisations, including WildFish, the Pesticide Action Network and Blue Marine Foundation, say the negative environmental impacts of the industry in Scotland “run completely counter” to the principles of the Soil Association’s promotion of healthy, humane and sustainable food.

In an open letter to the association, which plans to update its organic fish farming standards, the groups call for the removal of its certification of Scottish salmon and trout farms, as “unacceptable greenwashing of an unsustainable industry”.

In December, the broadcaster and presenter Chris Packham called for a halt to the growth of salmon farms in Scotland, as official figures suggested farmed salmon mortality had hit record levels in 2023. Packham, the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), said the industry was “catastrophic” for fish welfare and Scotland’s environment.

Salmon farms certified as organic by the Soil Association are required to show how they will minimise their impact on the aquatic environment, and maintain lower population densities than those required by other standards, including the RSPCA standard.

Rachel Mulrenan, WildFish’s Scotland director, said: “So-called ‘organic’ Scottish salmon is a misnomer. The fish are raised in the same way as all Scottish farmed salmon – in open-net cages, where all the waste from the farm flows straight into the surrounding lochs and sounds, including faeces and uneaten feed.”

She said that salmon farms certified organic were permitted to use highly toxic chemicals, which could kill surrounding wildlife. They also used wild-caught fish to produce feed and for parasite control, with unknown environmental impacts, she claimed.