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On 29th March 2022, 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. Since then we have continued to fight for better salmon welfare and to prevent the expansion of fish factory farms in the sea and on land.

Compassion in World Farming submitted an open letter to the Scottish Parliament in March 2022
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.

Millions of salmon are confined in underwater cages.

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.
Scottish Salmon fish farm montage depicting parasites, dead fish and underwater cages
© Compassion in World Farming

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.
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If you have any further questions regarding this, or any other matter, please get in touch with us at supporters@ciwf.org.uk. We aim to respond to all queries within two working days. However, due to the high volume of correspondence that we receive, it may occasionally take a little longer. Please do bear with us if this is the case. Alternatively, if your query is urgent, you can contact our Supporter Engagement Team on +44 (0)1483 521 953 (lines open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm).