Chris Packham calls for halt to ‘catastrophic’ expansion of Scottish salmon farms | Global development

Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham has called for the expansion of the Scottish salmon farming industry to be halted as official figures suggest that salmon deaths on the country’s farms have reached record levels this year.

Packham, the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), described the growing industry as “catastrophic” for fish welfare and Scotland’s environment.

Animal rights campaigners welcomed his calls for better regulation, enforcement and a halt to the growth of the industry. But they said his comments highlighted the “untenable position” of the RSPCA’s welfare stamp of approval scheme for salmon farms.

The RSPCA received £700,000 in membership and license fees in 2022 from salmon farmers and producers as part of its RSPCA Assured scheme. Almost 100% of Scottish farmed salmon is produced under the scheme.

Rachel Mulrenan, Scotland director of WildFish, said: “Any public figure making a commitment to raise awareness of the issues with salmon farming is positive. But this dual role played by the RSPCA is unhelpful. RSPCA Assured should not not certifying salmon farms, it interferes with the work of the organization to raise awareness of action needed. The certificate is a proxy for good environmental performance and welfare, but it is not matched on the water. Check out the death rates this month alone.”

The latest figures, published by the Fish Health Inspectorate shows that 13.5 million salmon deaths were reported by Scottish farms from January to October this year, compared to 11.5 million during the same period in 2022. That year, salmon deaths on farms almost doubled, due to growing levels of disease, parasites and jellyfish swarms.

Don Staniford, of the $camon $cotland campaign, said: “Packham raises a legitimate issue. The latest data from October shows the highest level of mortality in salmon farms. If their own president raises the issue, the RSPCA’s position is untenable.”

In a newsletter to supporters of Animal Equality (AE), Packham urged them to donate to the charity to stop the expansion of the Scottish salmon farming industry. “Millions of fish are dying prematurely, parasites and disease are out of control, and Scotland’s natural environment is suffering as farm waste ravages the seabed,” Packham wrote. He said he “speaks as a leading campaigner” for animal protection and wider ecological conservation.

“Escapes and mixing with wild fish lead to reduced fitness and increased sea lice risks to wild populations,” he said.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said that Packham’s letter to AE supporters was written in a personal capacity, adding that his role at the charity was “non-management”.

In a statement, RSPCA said: “We are proud to have Chris Packham, a passionate campaigner for animals, as our president and we share his desire to create a better world for all animals.

“The charity created the world’s first welfare standards for salmon produced in the UK in response to the absence of specific legislation. They have raised welfare conditions worldwide and continue to drive positive change.”

All standard violations and cases of high mortality were investigated and members were suspended to allow investigation and appropriate action to correct failures, the spokesperson said. It was not necessary to permanently exclude any members, but the RSPCA would not hesitate to do so if a farm could not correct problems.

While there had been “significant progress” to improve the lives of farmed salmon, there were still “significant challenges and we are working hard to address them”, the spokesman added. The RSPCA will publish new welfare standards to include further improvements around health, welfare and slaughter next year.

Dr Iain Berrill, head of technical at Salmon Scotland, which represents the salmon farming industry, said: “Chris Packham has a significant platform, so it is disappointing that he has repeated several misconceptions used by anti-salmon campaigners in this letter included.”

Berrill insisted Scottish salmon farmers provide the “highest welfare standards” anywhere in the world, independently certified by RSPCA Assured. He said: “While no farmer wants to lose any animal, the care our farmers can offer means survival rates for farm-raised salmon – which spend up to two years in the sea – are significantly higher than their wild cousins, with an average monthly survival rate of around 97%.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Salmon farming in Scotland is a highly regulated industry subject to a number of fish health, environmental and local authority planning controls. The industry is subject to strict animal health and welfare legislation. The vast majority of salmon farms in Scotland are members of the RSPCA insurance scheme and are regularly checked for compliance.

“We recognize an increase in mortality, which has been largely associated with earlier climate events and we expect producers to drive mortality to the lowest possible levels.”