Scottish salmon's 2024 antibiotic use was higher than first announced
The sector used 60% more than it initially said, but the volume was still second-lowest on record
The volume of antibiotics used by the Scottish salmon farming sector in 2024 was 60% higher than the record low figure of 5.1mg per kilo of fish announced in September last year, trade body Salmon Scotland has confirmed.
But the revised figure of 8.15mg per kilo of fish produced was still the second lowest on record, which Salmon Scotland said was due to more than £1 billion of investment in innovation across veterinary care, technology, and stock management.
The revised figure was also a 67% reduction from the 24.8mg per kilo used in 2023.
Scottish investigative news site The Ferret today reported that Salmon Scotland admitted mistakenly underestimating the amount of antibiotics after anti-salmon farming campaigners noticed a discrepancy between industry figures and those provided by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Identified an error
Last autumn, Salmon Scotland reported that its total antibiotic use for 2024 had reached a “record low” of 940 kg, whereas SEPA reported 1,268 kg. Salmon Scotland has since revised its figure to 1,564 kg. It told The Ferret that its corrected figure was higher than SEPA’s because it included antibiotics used in the early freshwater stages of salmon production. SEPA’s figure only covered those used in marine salmon cages in seawater.
“We have identified an error in the previously reported 2024 antibiotic use figure and have published a correction on our website," a spokesperson for Salmon Scotland told The Ferret.
“We are committed to transparency and have informed the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, and have initiated the process to update the public report as a matter of urgency.
“Antibiotic use in 2024 remains the second lowest level on record, and we continue to work to reduce use while protecting fish health.”
Salmon Scotland said on its website that only 9.4% of all salmon farms required antibiotic treatment in 2024. Just 9% of seawater farms and 10.6% of freshwater farms used antibiotics.
