Scottish salmon exports reached a new record high of £844million last year, up 45 per cent from the previous year, HM Revenue & Customs data shows.
The bumper figures meant Scottish salmon retained its crown as Britain’s most popular food export.
‘Salmon is the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s world-class produce and this week’s figures underline it’s global reputation for unrivalled quality’, Scotland Office minister, Kirsty McNeill, said.
However, earlier this month, a report by WildFish alleged some Scottish farmed salmon was being marketed in such a way that consumers could be misled.
Across Asian markets, notably in China and Taiwan, demand for exports of Scottish salmon increased 60 per cent in the last 12 months, HMRC said.
The 2024 export total smashed the previous record of £618million set in 2019 and meant Scottish salmon beat products like Cheddar cheese and British lamb/beef to take the crown.
In demand: Scottish salmon exports across Asia surged by 60% in the last year
Scottish salmon is the largest export by volume that goes through Heathrow Airport, where it travels on scheduled flights to multiple international destinations.
France remained the top market in 2024, accounting for 55 per cent of total value of all Scottish salmon exports, followed by the US, at 27 per cent.
According to Salmon Scotland: ‘The new figures come after survival rates on marine salmon farms in Scotland reached a four-year high of 82.3 per cent in 2024 following multi-million-pound tech investments to enhance animal welfare.’
Scottish Salmon said improvements in farmed salmon survival levels had led to more being available for the export market, helping meet international demand. It claimed salmon was also Britain’s most popular fish.
Scottish salmon exports were sent to 48 countries in 2024. Salmon Scotland said the industry directly employs 2,500 people in coastal communities, with the supply chain adding a further 10,000 jobs.
Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, said: ‘These exceptional figures clearly demonstrate the surging global demand for Scottish salmon, which is rightly recognised as a premium high-quality product.
‘The farmed salmon sector is very important to our economy, providing well paid, high skilled jobs in Scotland’s rural and island communities.
‘The Scottish Government is fully committed to working with industry to aid sector growth in overseas markets, whilst solidifying their premier status in domestic markets.’
Tavish Scott, Salmon Scotland chief executive, said: ‘Today’s record exports demonstrate the increasing global demand for Scottish salmon, which is rightly recognised as the best in the world and increasingly sought after by discerning consumers.
‘Salmon farmers in our rural and coastal communities go out every day to raise healthy fish which end up on plates in dozens of countries.
‘Producers have also invested hundreds of millions of pounds to further boost already world-leading welfare standards.’
He added: ‘Scotland’s salmon sector is heavily regulated by government – we need better, not less regulation. That is the task for government and if that is delivered that then we can create more jobs and economic growth.’
According to WildFish, a charity campaigning for wild fish and their environment, farmed salmon is one of the most popular fish in Britain, constituting one of the so-called ‘big five’ – cod, tuna, prawns, salmon and haddock.
Together these represent 62 to 80 per cent of Britain’s total fish consumption.
But in a report this month, WildFish alleged some Scottish farmed salmon was being marketed in such a way that consumers could be misled as to the origin, welfare and environmental performance of their purchases.
Using data published by the Scottish Government and disclosed by certain salmon farming companies, the report also analysed the mortality rates, sea lice levels and chemical usage on Scotland’s salmon farms.
Speaking to This is Money, Lex Rigby, farmed salmon campaign manager at WildFish ,said: ‘Wild fish populations and the wider marine environment have paid a high price for the rise in popularity of farmed salmon at home and abroad.
‘Often touted as the sustainable alternative to other forms of animal protein, the reality of industrial salmon farming is far from the idyllic image the industry portrays.
‘Intensive salmon farms are breeding grounds for parasitic sea lice and disease, becoming one of the lead causes for the decimation of wild salmon numbers. They wreak havoc on delicate aquatic ecosystems and facilitate the immense suffering of millions of fish every year.’
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