UK fish producers are unlikely to use pig and poultry meal to feed farmed fish, despite the European Commission’s decision last month to allow the use of processed animal protein (PAP) in fish feed again.

The fishing industry would be wary of provoking a consumer backlash, said a Seafish spokeswoman. As a result there would be “little uptake of fish feed containing PAP”, she predicted.

A ban on PAP was introduced in 2001 following the BSE crisis.