Seafood welfare charity issues appeal over “farmed” labels for salmon, hailing the term “misleading”

08 May 2024 --- UK-based environmental charity WildFish has issued a formal appeal to reverse a decision allowing Scottish farmed salmon to be labeled simply as “Scottish salmon,” arguing that it is “likely to mislead consumers” and does not meet EU legal obligations on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs.

The appeal was made In the General Regulatory Chamber of the Tribunal against the UK Secretary of State for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs over the approval, which was granted on April 3, 2024. The application was made by Salmon Scotland for a change in its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) name.

“This is a continuation of an attempt to greenwash the reputation of Scottish farmed salmon in the eyes of consumers,” says Rachel Mulrenan, Scotland Director for WildFish.

“With rising numbers of dead fish on the farms, toxic chemicals polluting Scottish sea lochs, and concerns about fish welfare, it’s perhaps no surprise that this application has been made to change the name and drop the word ‘farmed.’ But let’s be clear — this is farmed salmon raised in Scotland; it is not Scottish salmon.”

Salmon Scotland (the trade body for salmon farming in Scotland) — requested the amendment to prevent the phrase from being misused in the market. The PGI carries a strict geographical designation covering the coastal region of mainland Scotland, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland Isles.

In a statement to Food Ingredients First, Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, says: “Scottish Salmon is increasing in demand from consumers across the globe, so we are pleased that the UK Government has taken steps to update the legal protections for our iconic Scottish product.”

“We know when consumers talk about ‘Scottish Salmon’ they are talking about the salmon produced by our member companies, and the update to the PGI is a small but important clarification. Scotland’s salmon farmers work hard to rear their fish, and this recognition by Defra is a testament to the commitment of all those in remote communities who continue to meet the growing demand for Scottish salmon at home and abroad.”

According to Salmon Scotland: “WildFish has been aware of this process since October 2023. We assume these organizations have already submitted objections as part of the consultation process.”

Label misuse?
PGI labels are used in the EU and wider export market to communicate to consumers the authenticity of products known for the region in which they are made. 

“Scottish farmed salmon” was first registered as a PGI in 2004.

WildFish argues that the change in PGI name from “Scottish farmed salmon” to “Scottish salmon” is “likely to mislead consumers.The application for the amendment to the PGI name was made in July 2023 by Salmon Scotland.

A number of individuals and organizations submitted objections to the application, including chef Tim Maddams, formerly of River Cottage, Clare Mercer Nairne of The Meikleour Arms in Perthshire, food systems NGO Feedback, the Scottish Coastal Communities Network and Animal Equality.

Chef Maddams remarks: “It’s tiring and frustrating to have not managed to halt this small advance in the ever-growing marketing power of salmon farmed in Scotland but it’s totemic of a broader issue.”

“If we can’t stop the greenwashing, where will it end?”

Building the correct reputation 
Meanwhile, Jessica Sinclair Taylor, director of campaigns on Diets, Retail and Food Environments at Feedback, believes the decision “makes a mockery of the purpose of geographical indication labels by allowing an industry that is fundamentally extractive to continue to damage the geography on which it has built its reputation.”

“Farming salmon has serious consequences for wild fish populations which are caught to feed farmed salmon, and global access to good nutrition,” she comments. “Instead of enabling the industrialized salmon farming industry to obscure its methods, the government should be promoting the many health benefits of eating locally-caught pelagic fish like sardines and herring.”

“There is no way that referring to this intensively-farmed product as ‘Scottish salmon’ instead of “Scottish farmed salmon” gives consumers more information on how that fish was brought to supermarket shelves and restaurant plates,” she states. 

“As sustainability issues become increasingly important, this is a thinly disguised attempt by the Scottish salmon farming industry to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes, both in the UK and further afield. More than ever, people need to know the true origin of the products they are buying and consuming so that they can make informed decisions. This name change is a step in the wrong direction.”

In October last year, WildFish and Coastal Communities Network submitted a complaint to the Competition & Markets Authority in relation to sustainability claims made by Salmon Scotland. 

By Elizabeth Green