The Scottish Salmon Industry's Environmental and Animal Welfare Record

The Scottish salmon industry has been accused of prioritizing profits over the environment and animal welfare.

Despite over 70 reported incidents of fish escapes and environmental damage, none have resulted in financial penalties.

Animal Equality UK reports that over 350,000 salmon have escaped from underwater sea cages in the past five years.

In contrast, Norwegian authorities took a different approach and fined £60,000 for a similar incident.

Iceland fined a producer £656,000 for 80,000 salmon escaping from a farm.

The lack of enforcement in Scotland has been compared to other countries, including Chile and Norway.

Animal Equality UK has reported that over 700,000 fish have escaped from Scottish salmon farms, with no fines imposed.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Fish Health Inspectorate, and Animal and Plant Health Agency are responsible for enforcing regulations.

Freedom of information requests revealed that SEPA saw an average of one non-compliance every six days, but issued no financial fines.

Experts argue that the current system is inadequate and needs to be strengthened to hold companies accountable for their actions.