Bakkafrost Scotland tightens up after fish were left in empty farm

Salmon farmer Bakkafrost Scotland has implemented enhanced controls to ensure fish are not left in a farm when it is fallowed, it has said.

The move follows an incident in June when several fish were left in a pen at Bakkafrost’s Aird farm in Loch Torridon after it was harvested out.

Video footage of the fish, which were heavily infested with lice, has been released by vegan animal rights group Animal Equality UK, prompting retail giant Tesco to immediately suspend supply from the farm while it investigates with incident with Bakkafrost.

The suspension has no practical impact, as the farm remains fallow.

Reviewed procedures

A spokesperson for Bakkafrost Scotland said: “Five months ago, a very small number of fish were identified at our site on Loch Torridon, which had been declared fallow.

“We acted immediately to remove the fish, working with the relevant authorities. Following this, we undertook a comprehensive review of our procedures and implemented enhanced controls to ensure this does not happen again.

“At Bakkafrost Scotland, fish health and welfare are central to everything we do, and we remain committed to the highest standards of care and continuous improvement across operations.”

Bakkafrost did not say how it learned that the fish remained in the pen, but confirmed to Fish Farming Expert that once it was aware of the situation the fish were removed straight away and humanely culled.

Fish 'left to starve'

A video released by Animal Equality shows up to five lice-damaged salmon in a pen also occupied by small wild fish, and implies that the salmon were deliberately left in the pen with Bakkafrost’s knowledge.

The narrator of the video claims Bakkafrost “falsely reported that the farm was empty” and that “we discovered that this was a lie”. She adds that “these salmon were left to slowly starve and die”.

“Under its legal licence, the farm was required to remain empty, to prevent pollution and disease. Instead, it simply abandoned these fish, a potentially very serious crime,” claims the narrator.

She adds that it is “yet further evidence of an industry in a state of total turmoil”.

Animal Equality’s video has not had the response it wanted from the authorities.

“We submitted a formal complaint to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), but regulators refused to confirm what action, if any, they are taking, and if the firm will be financially penalised,” says the narrator, who concludes: “Please, leave fish and other animal products off your plate.”

Working with suppliers

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We take animal welfare extremely seriously, and we expect all our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards. This footage is extremely concerning, and we have immediately suspended the farm whilst we investigate with our supplier. Any failure to meet our high welfare standards is unacceptable and we take swift action where necessary.

“We continue to work with our suppliers to drive improvements in animal welfare through independently auditing all our own brand suppliers against our Tesco Welfare Assured standards.”