NEWS 82 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2026 Scottish salmon farming generates around £750 million in exports annually, despite smolt (young fish) mortality rates of 15% to 20%, with gill and skin conditions being major contributors. Dr. Rose Ruiz Daniels, a Lecturer in Aquaculture Genomics, secured more than £1.4 million in funding from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) that she believes can transform understanding of salmon health and disease resilience. The project will explore tissue remodelling processes in salmon, aiming to reduce mortality linked to gill and skin health issues - major ongoing challenges affecting the global aquaculture industry. The research, hosted at the University’s world-renowned Institute of Aquaculture, also benefits from £120,000 of in-kind support from Benchmark Genetics - a global leader in aquaculture innovation. Researchers will study salmon during smoltification - a key stage when young fish adapt from freshwater to seawater. This critical process involves major changes in the body, making it valuable for understanding how fish both repair and strengthen their tissues. “When smoltification fails to proceed normally, the fish become more vulnerable to stress and disease. By examining smoltification as a biological remodelling event, we can identify how salmon repair tissues, resist disease, and adapt to changing environments,” Dr. Ruiz Daniels explained. “The findings will help inform improved breeding and health management strategies that enhance resilience across the industry.” Read more>> University of Stirling secures £1.4m grant for salmon health research Innovafeed, one of the global leaders in insect-based ingredients for animal and plant nutrition, announced the renewal of its international B Corp™ certification. This recertification comes three years after first achieving the label in 2022, during a period of rapid industrial and commercial expansion. In 2025, Innovafeed achieved an overall score of 118, an improvement over its initial 111/200. Innovafeed notes that this progression reflects the company’s growing maturity in embedding impact at the core of its business model and governance. “Being recertified as a B Corp™ is an important recognition of the progress achieved and the daily commitment of our teams. This improvement motivates us to continue transforming our industry and to demonstrate that new industrial models, both high-performing and sustainable, can deliver solutions for tomorrow,” said Maye Walraven, Chief Impact Officer at Innovafeed. The company states that this renewed certification reinforces the credibility of Innovafeed’s model, based on a unique, fully circular and fossil-free industrial symbiosis, and strengthens the company’s ambition to pursue growth aligned with major environmental and societal challenges. Read more>> Innovafeed confirms sustainable growth with B Corp Photo: University of Stirling
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