Industry – July 9, 2026
Pure Salmon: French project clears another major hurdle
Pure Salmon has moved a step closer to building what would become the European Union's largest land-based salmon farm after its proposed facility in south-west France received a favourable environmental opinion from regional authorities.
The project, located in Verdon-sur-Mer, is now awaiting a final decision from local authorities. Approval would allow construction to begin in the coming weeks.
Pure Salmon plans to produce 10,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon annually using a land-based recirculating aquaculture system.
The project forms part of wider efforts to expand salmon production within the European Union, which imports the vast majority of the salmon it consumes. Less than 1 percent of salmon eaten in the EU is produced domestically, with around 80 percent imported from Norway.
According to the company, seawater for the facility would be sourced more than 12 kilometres from the nearest drinking water borehole from a resource unsuitable for human consumption or agriculture. It has also said water discharges will be filtered and that sludge generated by the operation will be converted into biogas.
