Scottish salmon farmers have reduced their use of antibiotics to the lowest level on record, cutting use by nearly 80 per cent in a single year, local trade body Salmon Scotland said recently.
New figures highlight this drop following more than £1 billion (US$1.4 billion) of investment in innovation across veterinary care, technology and stock management.
Salmon Scotland said protecting the health of fish sometimes requires extra care, including, in a few cases, the use of antibiotics to treat bacterial challenges. Medicines are only used when qualified veterinarians deem them necessary for specific infections, and only when there is clear evidence that treatment will improve fish health.
All antibiotics are used under licence from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Figures published by Salmon Scotland show usage fell to just 5.1 mg per kg of salmon in 2024, a 79 per cent reduction from 24.8 mg per kg in 2023. This is the lowest level on record, down from 16.1 mg per kg in 2017 when the sector first began publishing antibiotic use data.
Only eight per cent of all salmon farms required antibiotic treatment in 2024. Just 7.1 per cent of seawater farms and 10.6 per cent of freshwater farms used antibiotics, meaning the vast majority of farms used none at all.
Scottish salmon farmers continue to publish antibiotic use data covering 100 per cent of the sector.
Salmon Scotland has assured that the salmon sector does not use any antibiotics identified as high priority for human health, and there is no trace of antibiotics in the food chain, meaning consumers can enjoy fresh Scottish salmon with confidence.
The figures come after separate data showing that monthly survival averaged 99.12 per cent between January and June, marking the best start to a year since this information was first voluntarily published in 2018.
Cumulative mortality, the total number of fish deaths over time, fell by more than a third in 2024. Overall survival across all farms reached 82.3 per cent, up ten percentage points from 72.3 per cent the previous year.
"Like any medicine, antibiotics are used responsibly and only when absolutely necessary in the health and welfare interests of our fish," said Dr Iain Berrill, Head of Technical at Salmon Scotland. "We continue to work to reduce use as low as possible while ensuring our fish stay healthy, giving consumers full confidence in Scottish salmon.
"These figures also reflect the improvements in fish health and survival across the sector, showing the results of sustained investment in veterinary care, technology and stock management."
