October 1, 2024

 

Tonnes of dead, dying salmon at Scotland, UK farm allegedly removed prior to visit from parliament members

 

 

An animal welfare charity in Scotland, the United Kingdom, said it filmed tonnes of dead and dying salmon being removed from a fish farm just hours before Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) visited the site.

 

Members of the Scottish Parliament's rural affairs committee visited Dunstaffnage fish farm near Oban on September 23 for a fact-finding mission. The committee is holding a follow-up inquiry into how the sector has changed since a negative report in 2018 raised environmental concerns.

 

Animal Equality UK has accused the fish farm operator of trying to paint a "wholly inaccurate" picture of the industry but Scottish Sea Farms insists the footage shows "routine" operations.

 

A spokesperson for the committee said it had heard concerns about fish mortality on salmon farms during its inquiry, and added: "This footage raises further questions for the committee."

 

BBC Scotland News understands that the removal of the fish on September 23 was not discussed with MSPs.

 

Abigail Penny, executive director at Animal Equality UK, has accused the industry of wanting to "hide the truth" rather than tackle the serious issues it faces. She said the industry still does not have a handle on the parasites and diseases "running rampant" through fish farms, which she believes are too densely stocked.

 

She added: "We urge the committee to see the industry for what it truly is: deceptive and deadly."

 

Scottish Sea Farms, which operates the site, insisted the footage showed teams following standard operating procedures by regularly removing dead or dying fish. It said the number of fish removed each time would vary between pens and from day to day.

 

But it insisted it had "categorically not" had a mass mortality event.

 

The company also said it had engaged in a "full and open discussion" with MSPs during their visit.

 

Head of fish health and welfare, Dr Ralph Bickerdike, said: "Contrary to the claims made by Animal Equality UK, this is an essential part of our duty of care and something we do daily wherever conditions allow, whether we have a farm visit scheduled or not."

- BBC