Following a visit by Green Party peer Natalie Bennett in support of a protest against the proposed Cleethorpes on-land salmon farm, our co-authored report warns of its environmental, welfare and public health risks. The visit highlighted the concerns of local residents and animal welfare groups and inspired the report’s focus on the wider environmental, social and health impacts of expanding aquaculture in England.
The report opens with an account in his own words by Cleethorpes resident John Nelson, who has spent 50 years documenting the rich wildlife of the scrubland now earmarked for development, from rare wall brown butterflies to breeding chiffchaffs and ringed plovers:
“This scrubland is not only a small but precious refuge for wildlife, but also for local people … to lose it now would be heartbreaking”
Cleethorpes is understandably attracted by the idea of potential jobs and investment, but the model of factory farming is one that is clearly extremely high risk. Similar facilities around the world have suffered catastrophic failures. Globally, resistance is growing, with a bill in the French parliament calling for a moratorium on such facilities being backed by more than 100 MPs and planned facilities in Belgium and in the US state of Maine stopped by community opposition. Opposition to factory farming of chicken and pigs is growing, and this is simply the same model, aiming for corporate profits at the expense of local communities and environmental health.
Land-based salmon farming: not without challenges
The Cleethorpes plan is to use recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) – tanks meant to keep fish contained and reduce potential issues like escapes or disease transfer. But we point out that these systems require careful management. Salmon are active, migratory fish by nature, and being stuck in tanks with artificial lighting and not much to interact with can cause stress, unusual swimming patterns, lethargy, and aggression.
Water quality management in RAS is particularly complex. Even with filtration, waste products such as ammonia and carbon dioxide can build up quickly, affecting gill function and long-term health. Pump failures, oxygen shortages, or sudden changes in temperature can lead to large mortality events, which have occurred globally. We state:
“These events have become a common occurrence in this fledging industry, with a land-based salmon farm in Japan reporting a mass die-off of 170,000 fish due to human error and a breach of procedures. In Canada the ‘poster child’ for land-based aquaculture, Sustainable Blue, went into receivership after it lost 100,000 fish when the filter used to remove carbon dioxide failed.”
High stocking densities and continuous confinement can increase stress and susceptibility to disease, which need to be addressed to ensure the effectiveness of RAS systems.
Environmental and social considerations
The Cleethorpes site is actually a Local Wildlife Site, with rare butterflies and increasingly rare birds. We emphasise just how important this land is, both ecologically and socially:
“Local nature recovery is key to the UK Government achieving its desired ‘win-win’ outcomes for the environment and economic growth. Furthermore, the site contributes to local wellbeing through its biodiversity, aesthetic value, and recreational use. These environmental and socioeconomic impacts appear to have been overlooked by North East Lincolnshire Council, underscoring the need for comprehensive environmental safeguards and assessments, as well as transparent and inclusive community consultations.”
Another negative is that RAS farms are resource heavy. They use a lot of water and electricity and produce significant waste. They also need feed from wild fish or crops, which has its own environmental cost. Alternatives like algal oils are promising but scaling them up and keeping costs down isn’t guaranteed.
Animal welfare and regulatory considerations
Salmon in RAS face welfare challenges. Current UK regulations provide limited guidance for fish compared to terrestrial livestock. Welfare monitoring, environmental enrichment and stress reduction are often left to voluntary industry codes, such as RSPCA Assured certification.
Overlooking fish welfare is both an ethical and operational concern, as stressed or immunocompromised fish are more susceptible to disease and mortality.
Antimicrobial resistance
One further consideration relates to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR genes are pieces of genetic material that allow bacteria to survive antibiotics that would normally kill them. These genes can be passed between bacteria, helping resistance spread, and while RAS is often said to reduce the need for antibiotics, the tanks can also allow resistant bacteria to build up in biofilms.
Biofilms are slimy layers of microorganisms that form on tank walls and pipes, where bacteria can persist and exchange these traits. This creates the potential for resistance to accumulate within the farm environment, even if antibiotic use is limited. Without robust aquaculture surveillance and hygiene standards, expanding industrial RAS farming could affect wider efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance.
Time to act
The Cleethorpes land-based salmon farm, while offering controlled production, should not go ahead. Land-based systems are often presented as a “controlled” alternative, but the evidence raises significant concerns about fish welfare, environmental pressures, and community impact. Indeed, with regard to fish farming in general, the report recommends for better fish welfare standards and community consultation before any further expansion.
Stopping any new land-based large scale fish farms in England means making healthy choices about what we eat, how we produce it, and what kind of damage the industrial food system is creating. That’s far better than trying to fix the mess afterwards.
Read the complete report.
