Legislation & Guidelines - Introduction
In the UK farmed fish are currently afforded a degree of protection by the statutory regulations relating to cruelty that apply to all farmed animals. There are also Fish Health Regulations, although the main focus of these regulations is preventing the introduction and spread of diseases rather than promoting fish welfare per se. However, this situation is soon likely to change with the proposed introduction of new laws relating specifically to fish welfare by the Council of Europe and the implementation of the UK ’s Animal Health and Welfare Strategy.
This section of the website will summarise existing and proposed legislation relating to fish welfare. It will also cover industry lead initiatives such as codes of practice and labelling schemes and the implications that these schemes have on fish welfare.