Salmon industry shift to poultry-based feed

Major European salmon producers, including Mowi, Lerøy Seafood Group, Grieg Seafood, and SalMar, are increasingly adopting poultry-based feed to mitigate the rising costs of traditional fishmeal. The price of fishmeal has nearly doubled over a two-year period, driven by high demand from China and declining wild fish stocks. Specifically, the El Niño weather pattern has disrupted Pacific anchovy harvests, which are a primary source for global fishmeal.

Industry leaders are utilizing poultry by-products, such as bones and offal, which can cost less than half the price of traditional fishmeal per ton. While the use of animal by-products in fish feed was previously restricted in Europe due to disease transmission concerns, regulations were partially eased in 2013.

This transition has expanded into the UK supply chain. Lerøy Seafood Group, a supplier for Tesco, has introduced poultry-derived ingredients to reduce its carbon footprint and address the limited availability of marine raw materials. Other producers have also moved toward these alternatives: Grieg Seafood introduced chicken meal in July, and SalMar began testing poultry-based feed in March. The Global Salmon Initiative noted that using chicken by-products could reduce waste and ease pressure on wild fish stocks while maintaining nutritional value.

Industry representatives emphasize that all fish feed is strictly controlled and licensed by the Food Standards Agency. Despite these assurances, the industry faces challenges regarding consumer perception and the ‘perceived naturalness’ of salmon raised on non-marine proteins, as retailers are not currently required to disclose specific feed compositions on product packaging.