On 29th March, Compassion in World Farming submitted an open letter to the Scottish Government signed by nearly 130,000 people. The letter calls on the Scottish Government for a moratorium on Scottish salmon farming.

Deformed. Diseased. Eaten alive by parasites. Our shocking investigation reveals countless salmon on Scottish farms are suffering such torments every year.

Scotland is the third largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon worldwide. Every year, tens of millions of fish are farmed, shipping to many countries across the globe. But while the industry expands, animals pay the price. Our footage exposes awful conditions at five of Scotland’s largest salmon producers, who account for over 96% of the industry.

Hundreds of thousands of Compassion supporters signed our open letter to the Scottish Government, demanding a moratorium to stop the reckless expansion of Scottish salmon farming.

Welfare Issues

Fish are intelligent, sensitive creatures, and like many other animals, they explore, travel, socialise, hunt, and play. Some species care for their young and use tools as humans do. Fish are sentient animals capable of suffering and feeling pain.

In 2020, our investigators found:

• Salmon with parasites eating away at their skin
• Seaweed growing from open wounds, and chunks of flesh missing
• Fish swimming in dirty, deoxygenated water
• Dead fish dumped in open pits, creating a potential biosecurity risk
• Dead fish floating in overcrowded, barren cages.

Send a tweet to the First Minister of Scotland

Please join the fight and take part on social today. Urge First Minister Humza Yousaf to demand a moratorium.

If you are on Twitter, please send a tweet tagging First Minister Humza Yousaf to demand a moratorium.

More ways to help

We need your help to keep up this momentum. Here’s how you can join the fight:

1. Download our guide to understand why a moratorium on Scottish Salmon farming expansion is imperative.
2. Watch our 2020 Salmon Investigation which shows millions of salmon confined in underwater cages.
3. Want to learn more? To find out more about fish sentience, download our briefing.
4. Make a donation to Compassion today.