Salmon Farm Inspections

Inspections are undertaken on the salmon farms twice annually, with one of the audits arranged to coincide with the harvesting of the fish.

The audits are completed with the aid of a checklist to encompass each of the sections detailed in the scheme standards, with the findings from each assessment being presented in an anonymous form to the Technical Advisory Committee (T.A.C.) for their consideration.

In order to fulfill compliance with the standards imposed by the scheme, the production of Superior Quality Shetland Salmon requires a high degree of management expertise relating to the welfare of the salmon, the environment and the farm staff, with an ability to correctly maintain the necessary documentation.

Record keeping systems must be capable of defining complete trace-ability for each of the stocks held. Medicine and veterinary treatment records must be precise and compliance with the conditions stipulated by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in the farm's discharge consent must be strictly adhered to.

The assessor is responsible for the removal of at least one random sample fish for residue testing during one of the audits.

Farms participating in the scheme must demonstrate a hygienic and tidy attitude towards all aspects of salmon production with boats, facilities and equipment having to comply fully with the standards.

In the event of non-compliance, it is incumbent upon the salmon farm to provide an appropriate corrective action, with a corresponding time period allocated for its implementation. This, alongside a factual record of the audit, is laid before the T.A.C. for their determination. Verification procedures may be instituted by the T.A.C. to ensure the relevant standards are correctly achieved.