Scottish committee criticises slow progress on salmon farming reforms.
A parliamentary committee has criticised the Scottish Government for failing to deliver key reforms to the salmon farming sector with sufficient urgency, more than a year after publishing recommendations aimed at strengthening regulation and improving transparency.
In a letter to Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs and Islands Committee said it was “disappointed” that progress in “future-proofing the salmon farming industry has not occurred with the urgency called for one year ago.”
The committee said it remained particularly concerned that its recommendations on addressing farmed fish mortality had not been accepted by the government.
“The Committee expects to see sites with persistently high mortality to be regulated effectively and does not agree with the analysis of the Scottish Government that this does not represent a systemic issue,” the letter states.
It warned that without “meaningful actions” to improve industry performance on mortality, the government risks “eroding public confidence in this important sector.”
The committee also criticised the decision not to introduce mandatory mortality reporting, arguing the measure would not be overly burdensome for producers and could improve transparency.
“Mandatory reporting could be beneficial in enhancing trust in the sector… and could help to strengthen reputation for transparency amongst consumers and the wider public,” the committee wrote.
Members also raised concerns about delays to the implementation of Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s sea lice risk framework due to ongoing legal proceedings, warning that no interim measures appear to be in place to mitigate risks to wild salmon populations.
The committee called on the Scottish Government to set out “as a matter of urgency” what temporary steps it intends to take while the framework remains subject to legal challenge.
While acknowledging some positive developments, including plans to introduce baseline welfare standards for farmed fish, the committee said it stands by the recommendations set out in its January 2025 report.
It urged the government to establish a clear work plan early in the next parliamentary session to implement the reforms and ensure the industry is placed “on a sustainable footing.”
