On 12 February, legal representatives from NGO Animal Equality UK and North East Lincolnshire Council presented their arguments to judge Karen Ridge at Leeds Combined Court, with a verdict set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Backed by Aqua Cultured Seafood, construction of a large-scale onshore salmon farm on the outskirts of Grimsby docks was greenlit by the council in November 2023.
The farm would be the first of its kind to be built in the UK and capable of producing 5,000 tonnes of fish per year.
At the hearing, Animal Equality UK’s lawyers – Advocates for Animals and Alex Shattock of Landmark Chambers – argued that members of the council’s planning committee were wrongly and illegally informed that animal welfare cannot be a ‘material land use consideration’. As a result, they said that planning approval for the farm should be removed because unlawful guidance was followed.
In the application process, AquaCultured Seafood said that the farm would help bring jobs and investment to “one of the most deprived areas in the UK”, while its proximity to existing food processing facilities would help significantly reduce food miles.
‘Factory farming’
Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK, said that case exemplified the need for a reassessment of how large-scale aquaculture projects are approached in the UK.
“We urge all local authorities to seriously consider whether it is wise to grant planning permission for new onshore fish farm proposals, in light of the severe animal welfare risks that such proposals carry and the considerations highlighted during this case,” Penny added.
“The alarming harm caused to animals, our environment, and to investors associated with on-land salmon farms are not isolated to this one site and demand national attention.”
Penny also compared the designs to those for a farm factory farm most commonly used for the rearing of livestock.
“Factory farming is harmful and controversial on a number of levels; it would be foolish for us to not learn from these mistakes and to allow a new form of intensive animal agriculture to emerge,” she continued.
“These land-based farms are experimental, over-crowded, energy and water intensive, and renowned for ‘mass mortality events’ where thousands of animals die due to failing equipment or worker error.”
Food Manufacture has reached out to Aqua Cultured Seafood, while North East Lincolnshire Council declined to comment.
