RETAILERS are taking advantage of lax European Commission rules on labelling to give the impression to consumers they are buying Scottish salmon when the fish may not have come from Scotland.

Some retailers are increasingly using labels suggesting their salmon is "farmed in Scotland or Norway".

Catherine Stihler, the Labour MEP for Scotland, said this meant consumers could not be clear about the source of the salmon.

She said she would be raising the issue with the European Commission.

The MEP said: "Currently the labelling regulation allows other international competitors to benefit from the world-class reputation cultivated by the Scottish salmon farming industry."

Industry figures said the vagueness of rules on labelling allowed some producers to gain the benefit of suggesting their product was Scottish without investing in the high environmental standards followed by genuinely Scottish producers.

Brian Simpson, the chief executive of Scottish Quality Salmon, said: “It is important that consumers can tell the difference between salmon from Scotland and other producers throughout the rest of the world. It is a kick in the teeth for members of Scottish Quality Salmon, who have invested hugely in quality over many years, if other countries were to be handed trusting customers on a plate because of confused labelling regarding country of origin.

“The consumer deserves more information rather than less. For example, every salmon from members of Scottish Quality Salmon can be traced back to source and should only have one country of origin – Scotland. Consumers have the right to make informed decisions,” he added.

A European Commission spokesman said he was aware that a bid is being made to give Scottish salmon special legal protection. If passed, this would give Scottish salmon the same protection as Parma Ham and Champagne, meaning that only salmon produced in Scotland could be described as Scottish salmon.

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