Bergen, Norway-headquartered global salmon farming firm Mowi has lost its Royal Warrant, an honor granted by the British monarch which designates businesses that regularly supply the British Royal Household with their products.
Royal Warrants, which are typically granted for the duration of five years but can be withdrawn at any time, allow businesses to advertise their products with the Royal Arms and are considered a mark of distinction. Mowi was last issued a Royal Warrant in December 2024.
At the time of the December issuance, Mowi Farming Scotland, Ireland, The Faroes, and Canada East COO Ben Hadfield said “It is an honour that Mowi Scotland is the only supplier of fresh salmon to His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen. The Royal Warrant, proudly shown through the Royal Crest on our boxes of salmon that are sold all over the world, is recognised and held in high regard globally and lends even greater provenance to the Mowi story.”
Many news sources and salmon welfare activists have linked the warrant’s withdrawal to May 2025 allegations of fish abuse at Mowi Scotland’s Loch Harport location, which spurred the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to suspend the farm’s certification. The Times also linked the loss of the Royal Warrant to an early October escape of almost 75,000 salmon from the company’s Loch Linnhe farm after storm damage.
The complaints of animal cruelty, which were first reported by the Times, came to light after the Green Britain Foundation published a series of videos of alleged salmon abuse. In one video, a worker at the Loch Harport location can be seen beating a fish repeatedly.
In a statement to SeafoodSource at the time, a Mowi Scotland representative said the video was misleading.
“Whilst we do understand that the footage showing these fish being dispatched may be concerning to some people, percussive stun to dispatch fish is the most effective and humane method in these circumstances,” she said.
"The staff are working on floating pens in what appears to be a very windy day so would be trying to ensure that the fish are stunned as quickly as possible and so some fish received multiple blows, but that is to ensure they are quickly euthanized," she added.
Though the RSPCA reportedly initially said that the videos were “extremely upsetting,” a subsequent investigation by the animal rights organization found no evidence of welfare violations at the site.
Both The Times and the BBC have reported that the Royal Warrant Holders Association declined to comment on the removal, but confirmed that Mowi Scotland had been removed from its list.
Mowi has held the prestigious recognition since 1990, when it farmed salmon under the label Marine Harvest Scotland.
A Mowi spokesperson reportedly told The Times that “Mowi is rightly proud of its healthy and nutritious salmon and has been honoured to have held the royal warrant.”
“Mowi does not comment on decisions made by the royal household,” he added.
