Millions of salmon deaths at Scottish fish farms have been exposed after the UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) was forced to release inspection reports. The agency had previously refused to disclose the documents, citing potential harm to companies' reputations, but the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ruled there were no valid grounds for withholding the information.
The released reports detail mass mortality events caused by accidental poisoning and suffocation. At a Mowi-operated farm in 2021, over 100,000 fish suffocated after a worker left them unattended and oxygen supply ceased. In the same month, a hydrogen sulphide buildup killed more than 1 million fish at the same site. No enforcement action was taken.
At a Bakkafrost site certified by the RSPCA, 600,000 fish died from hydrogen sulphide in 2022, followed by a recurrence that killed over 1.5 million fish. Again, no enforcement action followed. At a trout farm, approximately 70,000 fish died in 2023, and 7,800 survivors were killed as 'economically unviable', despite the site never reporting deaths to the Fish Health Inspectorate.
Abigail Penny of Animal Equality UK called the ICO decision a 'watershed moment for transparency', adding: 'APHA's culture of secrecy has to end.' The group has released footage from a Scottish Sea Farms site showing salmon with severe injuries and diseases, and is demanding further inspections. APHA said it treats welfare reports seriously and will take action if cruelty is found.
