The Soil Association concluded that aquaculture practices failed to meet standards due to severe sea lice infestations, high stocking densities, and chemical pollution from treatments like formaldehyde. Farmed salmon represents Britain's most popular fish, supported by an industry employing 2,500 people across Scotland. However, the sector faces heavy criticism for driving feed harvesting in west Africa, which compromises regional food security while farmed fish suffer from blisters and sores.
Key points
British farmed salmon has officially lost its organic badge due to negligible progress on…: British farmed salmon has officially lost its organic badge due to negligible progress on fish welfare and environmental protection.
Intensive aquaculture operations contribute to severe sea lice infestations, chemical pol…: Intensive aquaculture operations contribute to severe sea lice infestations, chemical pollution, and fish developing open sores.
Relying on wild-caught feed sourced from west Africa places substantial strain on local f…: Relying on wild-caught feed sourced from west Africa places substantial strain on local food security overseas.
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The first haul of farmed salmon in Britain was a relatively modest 14 tonnes, produced off the west coast of Scotland near Fort William in 1971.
For Unilever, the vast multinational that pioneered salmon farming, it was a triumph after years of experimenting with how to cage fish, battle against diseases and cope with the wild weather. Unilever had spotted in the 1960s that farming salmon, which until then was caught wild and remained a relative luxury, would create a mass market, lower costs and provide steady profits. By 1976, it had expanded into three Scottish sites producing 116 tonnes of fish each year.
Today the British farmed salmon industry – worth £1bn a year – produces about 205,000 tonnes of fish a year, and employs 2,500 people in Scotland.
In the decades since salmon farming was introduced, numbers of wild Atlantic salmon off British shores have declined by more than 70%, a depletion that should be a warning sign of significant environmental problems facing our rivers, coasts and seas which are only increasing as the oceans warm as a…
The National Environment Agency's decision marks the nation's inaugural project greenlight under its six operational bilateral climate agreements. Developed by Climate Bridge International, the intervention replaces biomass boiling with filtration systems to cut indoor pollution and carbon emissions across local communities. Beyond advancing clean water access, the venture generates high-integrity offsets aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Horticultural managers across drought-stricken West Sussex are overhauling long-term cultivation strategies after record-breaking heatwaves killed traditional plant species and threatened mature trees. In response, prominent regional estates are introducing varied international flora to build resilience against ongoing climate shifts. This gradual trial-and-error approach seeks to safeguard landscapes while accepting that some newly introduced varieties may still perish.
Residents in San Clemente voted against a 1% sales tax hike intended to fund wildfire defenses and counter rapid shoreline loss. The decision leaves civic leaders searching for alternative financing to protect eroding recreational shores, even as a critical regional railway line secures separate mitigation support. This marks the coastal community's second ballot defeat for environmental protection funding in two years.