Management
RSPCA welfare standards for farmed Atlantic salmon 2 September 2015
* indicates an amendment
M 2.7 Stock-keepers must be able to recognise indicators of poor welfare in fish including abnormal behaviour,
physical injury and symptoms of disease.
Inspection and records
M 3.1 Any welfare problems seen during an inspection by the producer must be dealt with appropriately and
without delay.
Welfare problems of sufficient severity that they should have been noticed on previous
inspections and dealt with, shall be taken by the Freedom Food Assessor or RSPCA Farm
Livestock Officer as evidence of negligence of duties by the stock-keeper.
M 3.2 Fish must be inspected at regular intervals, at least twice daily, weather permitting.
It is the responsibility of the person caring for the fish to ensure that suitably regular and
thorough inspections are being made.
M 3.3 * Full records must be maintained of inspections, including:
a) the time and date of inspection
b) the name(s) and signature(s) of the person(s) conducting the inspection for each group of animals
c) details of any problems identified and any actions taken including those relating to
moribund/injured/damaged fish, where the reason for the problem must be recorded.
M 3.4 If problems are identified during an inspection, the stock-keeper must act promptly to discover the cause
and take remedial action, in consultation with a veterinary surgeon when necessary.
M 3.5 High standards of biosecurity must be maintained to avoid the spread of diseases between different
populations of fish, as specified in a written policy, contained within the Veterinary Health and Welfare Plan
(VHWP) (see H 1.1).
M 3.6 * Removal of dead/moribund fish must occur frequently:
a) at least twice a week, unless adverse weather conditions mean this would involve danger to personnel
b) at least daily for land based systems.
M 3.7 The cause of death of all fish must be classified using the categories developed in the VHWP (see H 1.1).
Veterinary advice should be sought if the cause of death is not clear according to the criteria
identified in the VHWP (see H 1.1).
M 3.8 Relevant staff must demonstrate competence in interpretation of mortality records.
M 3.9 Any equipment defects must be immediately rectified or, if this is not possible, alternative measures must
be taken to safeguard fish welfare.
M 3.10 Alternative measures relating to M 3.9 must be written into the Emergency Action Plan section of the VHWP
(see H 1.1) and all staff must be made aware of them.
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