Fish farm refutes ‘shocking’ footage

A west coast fish farm says an ‘unprecedented’ SSPCA inspection has shown it is protecting the welfare of its salmon, after a charity released ‘shocking’ footage showing ‘serious animal welfare concerns’.

The video, purportedly shot on Monday August 27 at Vacasay salmon farm in Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis, run by the Scottish Salmon Company, was passed to the Scottish SPCA for investigation.

A spokesperson for campaign group OneKind said: ‘The video shows salmon with the flesh on their heads exposed due to severe sea lice damage, heavy sea lice burdens, fish jumping out of the water, and severe fin and tail damage.’

OneKind campaigner Sarah Moyes said: ‘It’s very concerning that there are plans to double the salmon farming industry in Scotland when fish are suffering in this way. We’re calling for a moratorium on further growth until the industry starts putting the welfare of its animals first.’

The Scottish Salmon Company said: ‘The SSPCA has now confirmed that it will be taking no further action. It was wholly satisfied that we are taking all possible steps to protect the welfare of our fish and effectively deal with the naturally occurring issue of sea lice.

‘The warmer water temperature this summer has impacted the number of incidences of sea lice. However, the video footage is both highly out of context and alarmist. If it is from our site, it was obtained by an individual trespassing.

‘We remain fully committed to responsible farming practices and stringent health management of our stock. We are working with academic and industry partners to finding long-term sustainable solutions to tackle these industry-wide challenges.’

The footage can be seen at: www.youtube.com/watch? v=gh2I-ZGi9pk