Salmon farmers vindicated by ASA ruling: naturally they’re the best

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has comprehensively rejected a claim that advertisements promoting the high standards of salmon farming in Scotland were misleading.

Although the ads which ran in national newspapers last summer were seen by 25 million people and attracted only one complaint, from the Salmon Farm Protest Group (SFPG), the ASA was duty bound to investigate.

Using the headline ‘Only the finest farmers produce the finest Scottish farmed salmon’ and the slogan ‘Naturally they’re the best’, the ads explained the care that Scottish Quality Salmon farmers take of both the fish they farm and the environment. “Our farms and fish are subject to rigorous independent monitoring,” said the advertisement. “They even test Omega-3 levels to deliver all the health benefits that our salmon can offer.”

SFPG objected to a number of claims in the campaign, all of which were examined by the ASA and found to be robust. Regarding the line “Naturally they’re the best”, the ASA said that SQS “had substantiated the high standards of salmon farming maintained by their members, including fish welfare and the quality of fish feed”.

The ASA also decided that the claim “Salmon farms like ours can only be found in the great natural surroundings of Scotland” was easily justified by the unique welfare and environmental standards and independent inspection regime on SQS farms and by the award of the coveted EU PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status to Scottish Farmed Salmon. It also rejected the SFPG’s absurd claim that salmon is not ‘Scottish’ if produced on a farm in Scotland owned by a multinational company.

SQS’s record in disciplining or expelling members which contravene standards was accepted by the ASA as upholding its high standards of membership and supporting the statement “Only the finest farmers produce the finest Scottish farmed salmon”.

Commenting on the ASA findings, SQS chief executive Brian Simpson commented: “We are proud of our industry and the exceptionally high standards found in Scotland. Only the most dedicated troublemaker could have found fault with our advertising – and that is, of course, what the SFPG is. The ringing endorsement of our claims by the ASA shows the complainant up for what it is: a small, ill-informed group, more interested in causing trouble and wasting time than any constructive progress.

“We stand by our advertising. Scottish salmon farmers produce the finest of fish. Naturally they’re the best.”

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