We Care!
ES1 - Fish Welfare
SalMar is committed to ensuring that all slaughtering practices uphold the highest standards of animal welfare. This policy outlines SalMar’s approach to humane and ethical killing of salmon in our operations, in compliance with regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
This policy applies to all harvesting operations, including processing facilities and wellboat handling.
The Board of Directors holds ultimate responsibility for this policy. The Executive Management ensures implementation across all sites. Operational managers and trained personnel are accountable for compliance with humane killing procedures.
Operators responsible for stunning and killing must complete a fish welfare training program approved by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority or equivalent authority. Training is delivered by licensed veterinarians or professionals with recognized expertise in fish health and welfare.
The functionality of stunning equipment is checked, evaluated, and documented continuously throughout the workday. Manual verification of unconsciousness is performed after stunning, and any deviations are corrected immediately. Compliance is verified through internal audits and external inspections.
SalMar’s strategy focuses on maintaining humane slaughter practices using approved stunning methods, continuous operator training, and strict adherence to welfare protocols. The company aims for zero incidents of non-compliance with humane killing standards.
SalMar aims to maintain 100% compliance with humane killing standards across all operations and ensure all operators are trained and certified in welfare procedures.
SalMar uses percussion stunning as the primary method for humane slaughter. Fish swim naturally into the automatic stunning unit, where they are rendered unconscious before bleeding. At Vikenco, electrical stunning is used as an alternative method. After stunning, operators manually verify unconsciousness and re-stun if necessary. Gills are then cut on one side to ensure death without regaining consciousness, which is widely recognized as the most humane method. All procedures follow approved welfare protocols, and operators are trained and certified to perform these tasks.