Organic salmon on Scottish farms were dying at rates comparable to those at conventional sites, a two-year Soil Association review found, prompting the organization to stop setting organic salmon standards after 20 years.
Here's what to know
A review of organic fish farms found that neither animal welfare nor environmental performance met the Soil Association's standards, according to The Daily Galaxy. The U.K. organic charity announced on Nov. 9 that it would stop setting organic salmon standards.
The Soil Association wanted producers to remove wild-caught forage fish from feed and stop using deltamethrin, which is an insecticide, to treat sea lice. Its demands also included stronger protections against injuries and deaths from handling, disease, and parasites. In May 2025, it set a summer 2026 deadline for producers to demonstrate "meaningful progress."
Soil Association chief executive Helen Browning said the organization had wanted to limit harm to other wildlife while giving salmon an environment in which they could thrive. That original vision called for richer farming environments supporting multiple species.
"However, progress along these lines has been negligible," Browning said.
More background
Browning said stocking densities were "1% compared to 1.5% for non-organic Scottish farms." Despite the additional room, rising sea temperatures, disease, parasites, and blooms of tiny micro-jellyfish contributed to deaths, according to the Soil Association.
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The review also identified a practical challenge: locating an individual sick fish among thousands in a sea pen and treating it or killing it humanely.
Feed posed an environmental concern alongside the animal welfare issues. Keeping salmon diets close to what they naturally eat has meant feeding them other fish, putting pressure on wild populations, the Soil Association found.
Trimmings left over from seafood processing were considered a potential substitute, but tracing their origins remained difficult.
Organic Scottish salmon will remain available. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs sets Britain's legal organic requirements, and the Soil Association's standards have added stricter conditions.
What's being done?
Net-cleaning methods that avoid chemical antifouling paints have gained ground across salmon farming. Pre-slaughter stunning has become more favorable as well. The Soil Association said its work had helped spread both practices.
Organic farms used permitted veterinary treatments sparingly and banned the most harmful chemicals. The Soil Association gave them a generally positive assessment in this area.
Unless an earlier departure is arranged, the organization's certification business will continue inspecting farms against government organic standards until the contract ends.
Trade body Salmon Scotland said the government had assured it that farms would retain certification. Producer Cooke Scotland also said organic production would continue.
Packaging will change gradually. The Soil Association expects the transition away from its logo to finish by the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, conservation organization WildFish is seeking inspection reports it requested in 2024. The Information Commissioner ruled that the reports should be disclosed, but the Soil Association is challenging that decision.
WildFish chief executive Nick Measham welcomed the withdrawal while pledging to continue seeking the records, which could shed light on conditions at certified farms.
"The public deserves to know what was happening behind the organic label," Measham said.
Where can I learn more?
Questions about what salmon eat and how they survive extend beyond Scotland's organic farms.
• In Europe, farmed salmon are being fed chicken byproducts without necessarily informing shoppers through labels.
• Alaskans are losing fishing rights while corporations waste millions of pounds of their catch.
• In California, Sacramento River heat could kill Chinook salmon eggs, threatening one in five.
• On Canada's Cowichan River, three generations walk the banks, hoping to find salmon.
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