Latest retail figures confirm what shoppers already know: salmon is the UK’s favourite fish. Worth £1.5 billion a year in domestic sales alone, it now accounts for nearly a third of all fish bought in the UK.
But this is about much more than supermarket tills. It’s a reminder to politicians in Edinburgh and London that this is a genuine Scottish success story, a cornerstone of our economy that deserves their full support.
While consumers are buying more salmon than ever, the people who farm it in places like the Western Isles, Orkney, and Shetland are facing pressures that could reel that success in.
As John Swinney prepares to deliver his Programme for Government on Tuesday, Scottish salmon farmers will be flying the flag in Barcelona at the world’s biggest seafood trade show, Seafood Expo Global.
While the First Minister finalises his speech, they’ll be on the international stage, promoting our premium produce that has such a renowned reputation.
It’s vital that he and UK Government counterparts match international enthusiasm with domestic action. This is a sector that’s easy to cheer for.
Scottish salmon is the UK’s largest food export, farmed in five key areas across the west coast and northern isles. It is now sent to more than 50 countries. Exports shot up by 45 per cent to £844 million last year, which is £2.3 million every single day.
Demand in Asia alone jumped by more than 60 per cent, with China and Taiwan leading the charge. For premium quality, Scottish salmon is hard to beat.
That’s a market success story any government would be proud of and one that underpins more than 12,000 livelihoods here in Scotland.
But none of this happens by accident. And it won’t continue without political will.
One threat comes from the United States, our second-biggest market, worth £225 million last year. A 10 per cent tariff under this second Trump administration risks business uncertainty.
While demand for Scottish salmon from US consumers is certain to hold up, any trade war could cause disruption across Europe as our global rivals shift their focus.
Scottish salmon's market share in key European countries like France is already pressured by competitors in Norway and Chile.
Farmers and exporters are working closely with importers to manage the uncertainty, but forward planning and investment is becoming tougher.
Closer to home, red tape is holding the sector back. The process for consenting new and existing farms involves four separate regulators, often pulling in different directions. It is clunky, slow, and deters investment.
An independent review by Professor Russel Griggs in 2022 called for a one-stop-shop system. Three years on, we are still waiting.
Since 2020, 60 statutory deadlines have been missed. That is not regulation; it is stagnation. What our sector needs is not less regulation; it’s better regulation.
The review must now be implemented without further delay so salmon farming in Scotland can grow sustainably and responsibly for the long term.
Then there’s Crown Estate Scotland, which leases the seabed to farmers.
Given the pressures the sector is facing, there should be greater flexibility on rents and a clearer line of sight on how revenues are reinvested in the communities that host our farms. It is a question of fairness and transparency.
We welcome the proposals to reform the planning system in England. There is an opportunity to apply lessons learned south of the border to improve processes and drive sustainable growth in Scotland.
The UK Government and the Scotland Office have rightly championed salmon farming abroad, promoting ‘Brand Scotland’ through embassies and trade hubs. That support matters, but it must be matched by practical action.
Introducing digital health certificates for EU exports would cut unnecessary bureaucracy and help get fresh salmon to market faster.
But for all the ambition in some parts of government, attitudes elsewhere remain a real concern.
