Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36400 by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025, and in light of reports of significant welfare concerns, how it ensures that the enforcement of farmed fish welfare law is consistent and effective, and whether it considers the reported reliance on verbal advice, written advice and follow-on visits to be adequate to uphold the legal protections under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
The Scottish Government takes the welfare of farmed fish very seriously and has committed to exploring options for how to best to set welfare standards for production.
We are developing guidance for the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter, which has been developed with the industry and animal welfare bodies.
As stated in my previous response the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are responsible for considering welfare complaints and investigating potential breaches in welfare legislation, and will continue to apply their professional knowledge and training to assess fish welfare against the provisions set out in The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.