No Mandatory Inspections for Fish Slaughterhouses in England and Wales

Up to 77 million fish are slaughtered each year in the United Kingdom, yet no routine or mandatory inspections of fish-slaughter facilities exist in England and Wales. Government bodies responsible for animal welfare and food standards—including the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA)—have confirmed they do not carry out regular inspections of these sites.

The Guardian

The Farm Animal Welfare Council, renamed the Animal Welfare Committee, first recommended legislation governing farmed-fish slaughter in 1996, revisited the issue in 2014, and again in 2024, urging that fish be stunned before killing and that an inspection regime be established. The government’s Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published in December 2025, pledged to introduce humane-slaughter requirements for farmed fish, but draft legislation has not yet been released.

The Guardian

She notes that for three decades decision-makers have been aware of the need for legal protection yet have failed to act, and she urges immediate species-specific slaughter legislation backed by inspections.

The Guardian

The British Trout Association reports that the UK hosts almost 290 trout farms and hatcheries, primarily in northern England, southern England and southern Scotland, underscoring the scale of the sector affected by any future regulatory changes.

The Guardian

• “Fish are thinking, feeling beings, capable of pain. It is a disgrace that not a single government agency will take responsibility for checking on their welfare at slaughter. This is a huge blindspot, and it leaves these animals all the more vulnerable behind closed doors.” — Abigail Penny, the executive director of Animal Equality UK

The Guardian

• “It is incorrect to suggest fish farms aren’t regulated or inspected by government bodies. APHA investigates reports of suspected cases of poor welfare at fish farms, and the Fish Health Inspectorate inspects them on behalf of the government. We do not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence of cruelty or neglect.” — An APHA spokesperson

The Guardian