Mowi Loses Royal Warrant Amid Scrutiny Over Scottish Salmon Farming Practices

Scotland’s lucrative salmon industry finds itself at the centre of mounting controversy after leading producer Mowi lost its Royal Warrant following three and a half decades of royal endorsement. The decision comes on the heels of damaging undercover footage showing staff from the Norwegian multinational beating fish to death – a practice Mowi refers to as percussive stunning but which campaigners have branded as unacceptable.

Don Staniford, a long-standing activist and director of Scottish Salmon Watch, has made it his life’s mission to expose alleged malpractice across Scotland’s salmon farms, an endeavour that has resulted in his ban from approximately seventy-five per cent of facilities nationwide. Using tools such as underwater cameras and persistent investigative visits, Staniford has brought to public attention scenes of distress, overcrowding, and mass mortality. “The stench and the sight of fish gasping for air are immediate and shocking,” he recounts, highlighting conditions few consumers ever witness.

The industry sits atop a commercial peak, with £844 million in exports reported in 2024, positioning salmon as Britain’s foremost food export. The sector is responsible for employing two and a half thousand full-time workers and creating ten thousand part-time roles, often in remote communities where other jobs are scarce. Yet this success is clouded by claims from environmentalists and welfare groups, who contend the social and environmental costs greatly outweigh these economic benefits.

Those challenging the status quo, such as Staniford, assert that rearing salmon in dense enclosures constitutes cruelty. Statistics regarding mortality rates differ: Staniford claims around forty per cent of farmed fish die before reaching market, while other welfare-focused organisations put the figure nearer twenty per cent. Either scenario is cause for concern when compared to practices in traditional agriculture.

Environmental impacts run deep. Scientific assessments and recent events indicate the salmon farming model contributes to a sharp decline in wild Atlantic salmon, classified as endangered in the UK as of December 2023. Problems include genetic mixing due to escapes – a recent incident saw seventy-five thousand salmon released during a storm – and infestations of sea lice from pens infecting wild populations, along with chemical use harmful to shellfish.

Pressure on the industry is gathering pace not only from activists but from within the establishment. Sir Edward Mountain, Conservative MSP and himself a wild fishery owner, has publicly revised his earlier stance, expressing regret for opposing a moratorium on industry expansion. The current regulatory landscape stops short of halting growth, citing economic and social value as justification, though this position is losing traction as scrutiny intensifies.

For its part, Mowi maintains its methods are humane and expresses pride in its product, though it declined to comment on the specifics of the Royal Household’s recent decision. The loss of the Royal Warrant, however, is seen by campaigners as symbolic – an indicator that the narrative of sustainability, welfare, and quality in British salmon must be more closely examined. As demand for reforms grows, the story of Scotland’s salmon farming sector is set to remain under the spotlight, balancing profit against principle and public conscience.