Animal welfare campaigners allege that a “harrowing series of welfare abuses” have taken place at one of England’s oldest working trout farms in a tourist hotspot in the Cotswolds, including the participation of children in killing fish.
Animal Equality UK, a charity that works to end cruelty to farmed animals, has released video footage that it claims shows fish being repeatedly beaten with batons, mishandled and left to suffocate by untrained members of the public including a child at Bibury trout farm in Gloucestershire.
Visitors to the farm, which was founded in 1902 in Bibury, a village at the centre of an over-tourism row in the Cotswolds, can catch and kill trout with a supplied rod, net and baton called a priest, a name derived from the notion of administering last rites to the fish.
The farm said it was deeply concerned by the allegations raised and that it operated under strict rules set out by the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
But Animal Equality UK alleged that the behaviour it witnessed was in breach of those regulations, which state there should not be prolonged or unnecessary suffering at the time of killing.
The charity said its footage showed fish being repeatedly struck – as many as 10 times – before losing movement and consciousness and being left to prolonged suffocation, with one fish left out of water for up to 20 minutes. The RSPCA recommends that farmed trout are not kept out of water for more than 15 seconds, on animal welfare grounds.
The charity said the footage also showed improper stunning, with trout seen moving or gasping long after an initial blow, and still-living trout being taken to the farm’s gutting station. Despite the farm’s rules prohibiting children from killing fish, footage shows at least one child doing so.
“This is animal abuse, plain and simple,” said Abigail Penny, the executive director of Animal Equality UK. “If dogs or cats were treated this way there would be national outrage and swift legal action. But because these are fish, the violence is ignored. We must ask ourselves: what are we teaching our children by allowing them to watch and take part in this suffering? What future are we creating where animals suffer so extremely, simply to land on our plates?”
In one clip, a woman is seen striking a trout in front of an apparently distressed child. After realising minutes later that the fish is still alive, she apologises and acts out the dead fish “talking” to the child. In another scene, a young child is seen holding a teddy bear while a fish is beaten beside her.
In March, Animal Equality UK and the Humane League UK released a report on trout welfare at slaughter, authored by Prof Lynne Sneddon of the University of Gothenburg, Chiawen Chiang of New York University, and Dr Cynthia Schuck-Paim, the scientific director of the Welfare Footprint Project.
The academics argued that “all steps throughout the process of slaughter, including the pre-slaughter stages, compromise the welfare of trout at the time of killing”. Welfare issues included hunger and aggression, outcomes of prolonged fasting before slaughter, crowding, poor water quality, rough transport conditions and a failure to properly stun before killing, the report said.
The British Trout Association reports that there are almost 290 trout farms in the UK, with 17,000 tonnes of trout farmed and killed annually in Britain, equating to approximately 20 million trout slaughtered for human consumption.
Animal Equality UK is calling on the devolved UK governments to introduce legally enforceable, species-specific slaughter legislation for farmed fish, a proposal backed by the Animal Welfare Committee, a government advisory body.
Penny said: “This is a legal and ethical vacuum. Without binding protections, tens of millions of trout, salmon and other farmed fish will continue to suffer extremely and in silence in their final moments of life. They are denied even the most basic of legal protections, the most basic compassion.”
The charity has instructed the law firm Advocates for Animals to submit a formal complaint to Gloucestershire county council trading standards. The authority said it would issue advice to the farm and planned an unannounced inspection in the near future.
Bibury trout farm, which has a cafe and gift shop, hoovers up tourists arriving by coach and minibus in a parking bay directly opposite the attraction, many of whom have departed from London and are on whistlestop excursions to the Cotswolds. The village was once called the most beautiful in England by the renowned 19th-century designer William Morris.
A spokesperson for Bibury trout farm said: “In recent months we have strengthened welfare measures on site. For example, we now require that one trained member of staff is responsible for no more than five fishing rods at any time, ensuring closer supervision and greater control of fish handling practices.
“Fish at the farm have traditionally been humanely killed using a priest, a method that has been in practice for many years. The fishery also serves an educational role, helping children and families understand where food originates and the importance of responsible farming practices.
“Bibury trout farm has been part of the community since 1902 and has operated a fishery for many years. We serve a diverse community, including many visitors from overseas, some of whom do not speak English. To ensure everyone fully understands our rules and welfare standards, all visitors are required to watch a three-minute tutorial video on arrival, followed by a briefing from a member of staff. Clear signage is also displayed across the site to reinforce this guidance.
“We operate a strict zero-tolerance policy: if visitors fail to follow the rules, staff will immediately ask them to leave the area. If any breaches of welfare standards are identified, appropriate action will be taken without delay. The welfare of the animals in our care is our highest priority and we remain committed to maintaining best practice at all times.”
