Scottish Sea Farms appeals SEPA suspension of Barcaldine Hatchery discharge licence.
Scottish Sea Farms has lodged a formal appeal with Scottish Ministers against a partial suspension notice issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), affecting medicinal discharges at its Barcaldine Hatchery near Oban, according to documents seen by SalmonBusiness.
The notice, served by SEPA on 22 April 2025 and effective from 23 May, suspends Part 3.4 of the site’s Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR) authorisation. This section governs the use and discharge of bath treatments containing formaldehyde and bronopol—common antifungal agents used to control Saprolegnia infections in freshwater environments.
SEPA stated that Scottish Sea Farms exceeded permitted discharge limits for both substances between May and November 2024, in some cases by a factor of six. The agency also cited a failure to report these exceedances as required under licensing conditions. SEPA expressed concern that such discharges pose a risk to Loch Creran, a designated Special Area of Conservation, specifically its globally rare serpulid reefs.
In its appeal, Scottish Sea Farms acknowledged the exceedances and reporting failures but argued that they were a direct response to an acute and unprecedented Saprolegnia outbreak. The company stated that treatment levels were increased on veterinary advice to safeguard fish health and welfare, and noted that it has since invested £160,000 in site upgrades to mitigate future outbreaks.
The company said it returned to full compliance with licence limits by December 2024 and remains so. It argued that the suspension serves “no useful purpose,” as SEPA has not objected to the authorised discharge levels themselves, only to the prior breach. The appeal also contends that SEPA failed to define what “sufficient assurances” would be required to lift the suspension, leaving the company without a clear path to resolution.
Scottish Sea Farms described the suspension as unreasonable and disproportionate, citing the hatchery’s importance to its operations—it supplies over 70 percent of the company’s marine farm stock—and highlighting the operational burden of transporting treatment water off-site for disposal.
The company has requested that the Scottish Ministers quash the notice and has asked for a hearing to be held under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.