Scottish salmon industry accused of welfare failures

Campaigners call for temporary ban on new fish farms

Environmental campaigners have accused Scotland's salmon farming industry of repeatedly breaching limits on sea lice infestation, escapes and fish mortalities and putting profit before welfare, following the recent release of graphic images of farmed salmon left with ugly open wounds by sea lice parasites and disease.

They want a temporary ban on all new fish farms until far stricter controls are in place, a stance backed by the Scottish Green party. The industry, however, buoyed by record exports worth 600m last year, wants to more than double production by up to 400,000 tonnes by 2030.