Animal welfare campaigners turn spotlight on salmon retailers

The Retailer Spotlight evaluates six key welfare criteria essential for the welfare of farmed salmon:

• Humane slaughter practices
• Stocking density limits
• Fasting times
• Use of key welfare indicators
• Cleaner fish welfare
• Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) policy
   

By examining the public corporate policies of major UK retailers including Aldi, Lidl, Amazon Fresh, ASDA, Iceland, M&S, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Co-op and Waitrose, the Spotlight reveals key findings on their salmon welfare policies. Among them are:

• Over half of UK retailers’ policies (7 out of 12) state that they adopt humane methods of slaughter. 
• Only Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Co-op have policies in place, or adhere to a certification scheme, that limits stocking density to 17kg/m3 or less.
• M&S, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Waitrose are the only retailers that limit fasting practices to less than 72 hours for all types of procedures, while Tesco’s fasting policy is limited to only certain procedures. 
• Over half (7 out of 12) of UK retailers acknowledge the importance of using Key Welfare Indicators. However, only Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Co-op publicly report on these measures. 
• Six UK retailers ensure welfare standards for cleaner fish in their supply chains, although most rely on independent farm assurance schemes, rather than integrating these standards into their own corporate policies. M&S and Waitrose are the only two retailers that have made a public statement to adopt more humane alternatives for sea lice treatment when available.
• M&S is the only retailer that publicly discloses that they do not currently use high stocking density grow-out recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and have no plans to source from these systems in the near future. Co-op and Aldi acknowledge there are no recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) used for grow-out phase at present.
   

The Food Business team at Compassion engages with all UK retailers to develop their salmon welfare policies and improve their public reporting.  However, significant industry-wide improvements are still needed to advance the welfare of salmon.

Louise Valducci said: “Retailers must develop and uphold their own dedicated salmon welfare policies, providing consumers with clear information about the welfare standards of the salmon they buy.

“Through their policies, retailers can work with their suppliers to ensure the most impactful welfare criteria are captured, implemented and adhered to.  Retailers should not simply accept any assurance scheme, as often the details in welfare standards are not transparent and not easily understood. Best practice would be to take ownership and, vitally, state their standards for their salmon as part of their purchasing process.  The Salmon Retailer Spotlight is there as guidance to ensure critical welfare considerations are factored into this process. 

“Finally, as salmon is the largest source of farmed fish consumed in the UK, it is crucial for consumers to be aware of the welfare standards of each retailer. Consumers should be encouraged to use the Spotlight to guide their choice of salmon products and where to buy them.”

The Salmon Retailer Spotlight is the second species-specific Spotlight released by Compassion, following the launch of the Broiler Retailer Spotlight in 2024.