Navigating the choppy waters of organic salmon standards
Farmed salmon has to be one of the most controversial topics in UK food and farming right now. And Soil Association has an important role to play in navigating the issues, not least through our role in setting standards for organic salmon production. Soil Association Standards Director Sarah Compson explains the history of organic salmon in the UK and how charting the course through this tricky topic is a top priority:
Since the start of the organic movement and throughout our near-80 year history, we’ve been at the forefront of setting standards for organic production and processing. A four-page set of guidelines developed in the 1960s culminated in rules for organic being written into law in the early 90’s. This was a huge success for the movement, as it meant the term ‘organic’ could only be used on food and drink if certain measures were undertaken. These measures are comprehensive and holistic, following the four guiding principles of health, ecology, fairness and care. They safeguard soil health, prioritise animal welfare, and ensure a system of agriculture that works with nature rather than battling it.
Roll on to the early 2000’s and salmon farming is on the rise, but with growing concern that these aquatic systems risked going down the same degenerative route as some intensive land-based farming systems. So, we took on the task of developing a better alternative, where welfare and environmental considerations were front-and-centre. We felt it was right to be involved, offer a better alternative through organic certification, and try to influence the direction of the sector.
Today, our organic salmon standards go further than baseline organic regulations. They mean consumers have a choice to buy salmon from farms with lower stocking densities, where the most harmful and polluting medicines, like avermectin and organophosphates, are banned and where feed must come from sustainable sources. But the big question we’re asking now is whether our standards are enough to address the increasingly alarming concerns being raised about the long-term sustainability and viability of salmon farming in Scotland.
Organic standards have driven positive change – but is it enough?
This is a question we take very seriously, so we are taking a deep and rigorous approach to answering it right now. As a charity with the organic principles as our North Star, we’ve always had the privilege of being able to prioritise climate, nature and health when making decisions around standards development. That’s why we’ve been able to develop some of the strictest and most far-reaching food and farming standards anywhere in the world, and it’s why we’re respected and recognised on the global stage.
But for our standards to be impactful they need to strike a balance. If they are too high, producers won’t sign up to them, even when they come with the incentive of appealing to consumers who want assurance of higher standards. Requirements and financial incentives set by government bodies can also help to make higher standards a more attractive option, so we must consider the full picture. It’s never one thing that drives transformative change, a range of push and pull factors need to come into play.
Within this context, we figure out what the right thing to do is, we look at the different tools available to drive the change, and we decide which combination of these are needed to bring about the necessary changes. A vital component is consultation with stakeholders, including civil society organisations and Soil Association licensees – they have a huge role to play in working with us to help get the balance right. With this alongside the expertise in our organisation spanning standards development, policy advocacy, campaigning communications and on the ground support for practitioners, we’re well placed to take meaningful action.
With increasing scrutiny on salmon, which is a relatively new and fast-growing industry, this is a complicated job to get right.
A deep dive into farmed salmon welfare
We’ve started by reviewing our standards. The first step we’ve taken is a deep dive into salmon welfare. There is so much more known about what land-based farmed species need to live a good life than for aquatic species, despite a recognition that fish are sentient beings.
We have long experience of working on welfare issues for terrestrial species, and we’ve taken a similar methodology with salmon. We have been honoured that a number of leading experts on fish welfare, nutrition, and behaviour from all over the world agreed to be part of an independent welfare panel that we convened. They have identified the key factors that are likely to impact salmon welfare, as well as what good farming practice could look like to address those. We gave them a clear brief for their assessments - they must be done from the point of view of the salmon, as much as possible. We’re halfway through this process - we are now assessing whether it’s possible to draft achievable standards that address the key welfare points the group has highlighted.
Making a difference for farmed fish and the environment
The second area we are looking at relates to the environmental impacts of salmon farming. As with many farming systems, some of these issues are very intertwined with welfare, but there are other factors to consider too. Given the dynamic nature of water, is it right to just consider the environmental impact of individual salmon farms? It feels important to consider the cumulative impacts on the wider marine environment too. Is it possible to set standards that individual producers can meet, that take into account these potential cumulative impacts? And what about unprecedented changes in the environment that are being caused by climate change? We’ve already seen swarms of micro-jellyfish – is it possible to put measures in place that effectively address these, and possible future issues? These are complicated questions, and we are working through them in a lot of detail.
The final step will be to put all this information together and determine the right thing to do. We know that we mustn’t stand still, and we are considering all options. We will always seek to find the most meaningful route through the challenges –that we are confident will make significant, positive impacts in the short and long term.
We’ve not made a big song and dance about this behind-the-scenes work, mainly because we’ve wanted to focus on getting the process right and doing the depth of research and the rigour of enquiry that is needed. But we feel confident that whatever the outcome of our standards review, our somewhat forensic approach will provide the evidence to decide the best course to take, not only for our organic salmon standards but for the sector in general.
As a charity, we’re doing our best to chart the right course through these choppy waters and are grateful for the painstaking work of the many experts and volunteers – from our Welfare Panel to our Standards Board - who are helping us to get our approach to this challenging topic right.
