Challenge to Defra ruling on labelling of Scottish farmed fish

Animal welfare campaigners are challenging the decision to allow producers of Scottish salmon to drop the word "farmed" from labelling.

- Haroon Siddique

An application by the industry body claimed that changing the protected name wording on the front of packaging from "Scottish farmed salmon" to "Scottish salmon" made sense because wild salmon was no longer sold in supermarkets, which consumers were aware of.

But charities and chefs have criticised the decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), taken last month, to allow Salmon Scotland's application, saying it facilitates greenwashing and will mislead consumers.

Rachel Mulrenan of WildFish, one of the organisations bringing the legal challenge, said: "As sustainability issues become increasingly important, this is a thinly disguised attempt by the Scottish salmon farming industry to pull the wool over consumers' eyes, both in the UK and further afield.

"More than ever, people need to know the true origin of the products they are buying and consuming, so that they can make informed decisions. This name change is a step in the wrong direction."