We call on DEFRA to pursue collaboration with devolved administrations to monitor and publish a comprehensive annual UK Farmed Salmon Safety & Welfare Report collating data from various regulators and organisations.

This should include information about residues (including drugs, PCBs, heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics), pathogens, and welfare indicators (mortality, sea-lice, stocking density) in salmon. The £1.5 bn UK farmed salmon industry is the one of the fastest-growing food sectors, yet, in our view, equivalent data transparency associated with the chicken, beef or egg industries is lacking. We believe millions of fish die prematurely from disease, parasites & warming waters, and farmed salmon can contain far higher levels of PCBs, pesticides & antibiotics than wild fish. We think that UK wide reporting is needed.