Campaigners call for welfare protection in trout farming
Trout farming should be subject to statutory animal welfare checks, according to an organisation that is campaigning to raise the profile of fish welfare.
The Humane League UK argues that even existing laws would allow the authorities to carry out welfare inspections, if they chose to. A Freedom of Information request by the League has revealed that no such visits are taking place in the UK, outside Scotland.
Up to 16 million trout are farmed in the UK, making them the third most numerous farmed species, after chickens and salmon.
Many of these are farmed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where there is little oversight of their welfare at slaughter and no legal provisions detailing how to minimise pain at the point of slaughter. This means, the League said, that animal abuse is less likely to be detected or punished, as welfare is currently regulated by the fish farming industry itself.
While the Animal and Plant Health Agency, part of Defra, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland claim the law does not require them to conduct inspections, this is arguable.
This is because while they lack specific protections at slaughter, they are still required to be “spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations”.
Scotland is the only one of the UK nations which carries out welfare inspections on farmed fish at slaughter, with the last one occurring 16 May 2024. Even so, inspections happen once a year and are announced in advance.
Georgie Hancock, Public Affairs Coordinator at The Humane League UK, said: “Trout are not only found in Britain’s iconic chalk-streams but are routinely packed into farms across the country. These fish receive no welfare inspections at slaughter whatsoever, not to mention there being no legal mandate for CCTV in their slaughterhouses. The lack of oversight is unforgivable, especially as we are talking about animals who can feel pain, and who are our third most farmed animal. Trout aren’t just an icon of British rivers, they are also victims of factory farming who need our help. The Government must introduce legal protections for these animals at slaughter."
Are voluntary inspections enough?
Some trout farms are subject to inspections by the animal welfare organisation RSPCA Assured, under its voluntary scheme.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “RSPCA Assured is the only farm assurance scheme solely dedicated to improving the lives of farmed animals, and we are regularly out on farms ensuring the RSPCA’s strict welfare standards are being met.
“All RSPCA Assured members receive annual inspections by our specially trained team of assessors and can be subject to any number of unannounced spot checks throughout the year. These inspections and spot checks include all RSPCA Assured certified slaughter facilities.
“We also have a really experienced farming and technical engagement team on hand to support members with meeting the standards.
“Ensuring the welfare of farmed animals is our driving priority. Without our work and the RSPCA welfare standards, many millions of animals would live worse lives.
“The RSPCA’s new welfare standards for trout are due to be published in the coming months and will include a number of important welfare updates.”
While the Humane League welcomes the role of RSPCA Assured, it points out that its role is voluntary, and while most salmon production is subject under its oversight, it is estimated that around half of trout production is not.
A spokesperson for the League said: “We don’t think that RSPCA Assured inspections fall short of what the Government could do. However, we also think that it shouldn’t be solely up to animal charities to monitor welfare at slaughter, particularly as not all trout producers are signed up to RSPCA Assured.”
The Society also stresses that the only sanction RSPCA Assured can apply is to suspend or terminate a farm’s membership of the scheme, while a statutory body could apply fines.
Sanctions called for
The importance of protecting welfare at slaughter was highlighted in a 2020 investigation into a Hampshire trout farm by vegan animal rights charity Viva!, which showed mishandling and kicking of animals at slaughter.
With increasing concern over the cost of living, trout is becoming popular as a less expensive alternative to salmon. According to market research firm Statista, £2 million more trout was sold in 2024 compared to 2023, with restaurants and supermarkets reporting growing interest in trout.
The Government’s Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) issued an opinion in 2023 affirming the need for the UK’s farmed fish to receive better legal protections at slaughter.
The report argued that the Government must legislate to ensure that fish are stunned before slaughter and killed before regaining consciousness, that they should be killed in water or shortly after being removed from it, and that a back up stunning process must be available.
The Humane League UK’s Forgotten Fish campaign is asking the Government to include detailed slaughter regulations including stunning for fish in law. This would include regular inspections of farmed fish welfare at slaughter, as well as providing guidance on how to calibrate slaughter machines.
Furthermore, the League said, revising the law could allow for those producers who are found guilty of welfare violations to be prosecuted, deterring future cruelty.
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