World’s largest salmon farmer loses Royal Warrant after Green Britain Foundation cruelty exposé

King Charles has withdrawn his Royal Warrant from Mowi, the world’s largest salmon farming company, following public outrage over shocking footage released by the Green Britain Foundation (GBF) earlier this year.

The footage, captured at Mowi’s Loch Harport site on the Isle of Skye, revealed workers beating salmon to death and leaving them to suffocate, in clear violation of welfare standards. The investigation led to widespread condemnation and prompted the RSPCA to suspend Mowi’s farm from its certification scheme.

The full story of the investigation can be read in GBF’s earlier report, Supermarkets told to remove Scottish salmon after RSPCA breach.

Regulators respond to welfare breaches

Following the release of GBF’s footage, the Soil Association issued:

• A Critical Non-Compliance for inhumane killing, and

• A Major Non-Compliance for record-keeping failures

at the organic-certified Loch Harport site.

These findings confirmed that animal welfare laws had been seriously breached, despite the farm’s “organic” certification and its products being sold in major UK supermarkets.

Royal action: King Charles distances himself from Mowi

The Royal Warrant Holders Association website no longer lists Mowi Scotland Ltd among current warrant holders and has confirmed to GBF that their listings are “up to date.”

This means Mowi has formally lost its Royal Warrant, a mark of endorsement granted to companies supplying goods or services to the Royal Household.

GBF statement

Dale Vince, Director of the Green Britain Foundation, said:

“It’s good to see the King, an environmentalist, distancing himself from Mowi. A firm with a history of pollution and animal abuse has no place holding a Royal seal of approval.

This decision places animal welfare and environmental responsibility firmly before corporate PR; we need more organisations to follow King Charles’ lead.”

A company under scrutiny

Mowi has faced repeated criticism for:

• Pollution and waste discharges into Scottish lochs

• Disease outbreaks across its farms

• Mass mortalities linked to overcrowding and poor welfare standards

The Green Britain Foundation continues to call for stronger enforcement of welfare and environmental laws across the salmon industry and for certification bodies to hold producers accountable for systemic animal cruelty and environmental damage.

Background

• GBF’s Loch Harport investigation was published in May 2025, exposing clear evidence of salmon being struck repeatedly and left out of the water for extended periods.

• The Soil Association subsequently issued formal non-compliances for humane killing and record-keeping failures.

• The Royal Warrant Holders Association has confirmed Mowi Scotland Ltd is no longer listed among warrant holders.