Watch: Organic salmon farm suspended by RSPCA for ‘beating' fish to death

Telegraph

17-05-2025

The UK's largest supplier of organic salmon has been suspended from an RSPCA animal welfare scheme after staff were filmed 'beating fish to death', The Telegraph can reveal.
Some farmers working at a Mowi fish farm on Loch Harport have been accused of 18 incidents of animal cruelty after the Green Britain Foundation (GBF) filmed the site for a month.
The group, founded by Dale Vincent, the renewable energy entrepreneur, has claimed its footage shows Atlantic salmon left to suffocate for more than a minute, a fish's head being crushed by a worker's heel, and some creatures taking up to 50 seconds to die from repeated beatings.
The RSPCA has launched an investigation into the 'extremely upsetting' video and suspended the Scottish farm from its assured animal welfare certification scheme.
Sainsbury's has suspended supply from Mowi while the investigation is ongoing. The Norwegian seafood company also supplies to other major retailers like Tesco and Waitrose.
The Soil Association has also launched its own investigation, adding that it was 'shocked and saddened to see an unacceptable level of animal welfare that we shouldn't be seeing in an organic certified system'.
The video shows staff working on a large pen which holds 40,000 salmon. The GBF says the footage shows live fish being kept out of water beyond a 15-second limit set by RSPCA welfare standards.
The clip, filmed from a public location on the Isle of Skye, also appears to show staff using a 'priest' – a small baton – to repeatedly strike salmon despite welfare standards requiring them to be given a 'non-recoverable percussive blow to the head to render it immediately insensible.'
The footage will prove embarrassing for Mowi, which boasts that the 'health and welfare of our salmon is our top priority'.
Mr Vince, who also founded Ecotricity, described the footage as 'absolutely horrifying', claiming they were examples of 'systematic cruelty showing a complete disregard for animal welfare'.
'One worker was recorded crushing a fish's head under their heel. This isn't just a breach of standards, it's a culture of cruelty that has no place in any industry, let alone one claiming to meet RSPCA welfare standards.
'We have documented over 18 incidents across multiple days. If one suffocated fish warrants removing certification from an entire company in Australia, then surely this pattern of systematic abuse demands the same response here.
'The RSPCA must act decisively and drop Mowi entirely – not just this one farm. Anything less would be a betrayal of their own standards and the animals they claim to protect.'
An RSPCA Assured spokesman said the suspension meant Mowi was not currently able to market or sell any products under the RSPCA Assured label.
'Whilst we establish the facts, we are unable to comment further. However, we want to offer our firm reassurance that salmon welfare is our absolute priority, and we will not hesitate to take action where necessary.
'We have also advised that the footage is reported to APHA – the Animal and Plant Health Agency. They are a government body equipped to take legal action if necessary.
A Waitrose spokesman said it was 'investigating this footage as a matter of urgency with our supplier and will take whatever steps we need to.'
Mowi said it had 'reviewed' the footage, adding that the group was 'known for its opposition to farming animals', as well as 'funding… vegan activists to film and oppose salmon farming operations'.
It added that 'husbandry staff' were removing 'around 12 poor performing salmon' from a large pen which held 40,000 'healthy salmon'.
'We do understand why the footage showing these fish being dispatched may be concerning to some people but percussive stun to dispatch fish is the most effective and humane method in these circumstances,' it added.
'The staff are working on floating pens in what appears to be a very windy day, so [they] would be trying to ensure that the fish are stunned as quickly as possible and so some fish received multiple blows, but that is to ensure they are quickly euthanised.'
According to Mowi, its bosses had 'spoken to the farm staff to support them and ensure that they feel valued as farmers and not persecuted by activists', explaining how they would be providing 'refresher' courses to staff to ensure 'the requirements of the RSPCA welfare standard are held to the highest standard in our business at all times'.