Tesco suspends salmon farm after claims diseased fish dumped in loch

Tesco says it suspended its use of a fish farm in Skye after an animal welfare charity alleged diseased fish were dumped in a sea loch and live salmon were left to suffocate before being processed.

Operator Bakkafrost Scotland said it was an "isolated occurrence" at its Portree site last autumn, adding that the farm was now fallow.

The Green Britain Foundation claimed the incidents had followed a disease outbreak that killed thousands of fish.

Last November, Tesco suspended its use of a Highland fish farm also owned by Bakkafrost Scotland following allegations that salmon infested with sea lice were left in a pen which should have been empty.

The Green Britain Foundation, which has welcomed Tesco's suspension, filmed activity at the Skye fish farm.

Director Dale Vince alleged the footage showed there had been an "abuse" of salmon - and of regulations designed to protect consumers and the environment.

A spokesperson for Bakkafrost Scotland said: "This was an isolated occurrence at our Portree site in autumn 2025.

"Our teams were working under extremely challenging conditions to responsibly manage a naturally occurring environmental event. The site is now fallow."

The company said it "fully and openly" co-operated with the RSPCA, which provides a certification for farmed salmon, throughout its review.

The spokesperson said the RSPCA was satisfied with the actions Bakkafrost had taken.

They added: "We remain fully committed to robust welfare standards and to transparent, responsible farming in Scotland."

A Tesco spokesperson said: "We take animal welfare extremely seriously, and we expect all our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards.

"As soon as we were made aware of this concerning footage, we immediately suspended the farm to carry out an investigation with our supplier.

"Any failure to meet our high welfare standards is unacceptable and we take swift action where necessary."