A FOREST of Dean smokery endorsed by King Charles is at the centre of a growing row after an animal welfare campaigner filed a formal complaint accusing the business of misleading customers about the origins of its salmon.

Severn & Wye Smokery, based at Chaxhill on the edge of the Forest, holds a royal warrant and is one of the region’s most prominent food producers.

The company is now under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority after Scottish Salmon Watch lodged a 13-page complaint claiming the smokery’s packaging could lead consumers to believe its salmon is wild and locally linked to the Rivers Severn and Wye.

Campaigner Don Staniford, the group’s director, argues that the packaging’s silhouette of a fly-fisherman and references to the smokery being “situated between these two great salmon rivers” create “a strong impression of wild provenance and traditional river fishing”.

He says this is misleading because the salmon used in the company’s products is farmed in Norway, Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

“The combined imagery and text give a materially misleading impression of the production method and provenance,” the complaint states. Staniford argues that wild salmon commands a higher price and carries different environmental and welfare associations, meaning customers could be influenced by the presentation.

In the detailed submission, he cites multiple sections of the CAP Code, arguing that the marketing “is likely to mislead”, omits material information, and implies a production method that cannot be substantiated.

The complaint also notes that Severn & Wye’s website does not specify whether its salmon is wild or farmed.

He also highlighted leaked transport documents published earlier this year that allegedly show the smokery imported multiple shipments of Mowi salmon from Norway.

The row comes as several royal-warranted smokehouses face increased scrutiny, with Staniford calling for action against what he describes as “counterfeit salmon”.

Severn & Wye Smokery strongly denies any wrongdoing, insisting its packaging is clear and compliant. It says the fisherman logo is simply a silhouette of Cook’s father, taken from a family photograph, and is a brand image rather than a claim about how the salmon is caught.

The company said its marketing “makes no claim that the fish being sold are wild fish” and that ingredient labels leave “the consumer in no doubt that the salmon has been farmed”. It added that its messaging about its riverside location refers to the smokery’s heritage, not the provenance of the fish.

Wild salmon fishing on the Severn and the Wye ended several years ago due to the collapse in local fish stocks. Fork-lift deliveries witnessed this week at the Chaxhill site included boxed farmed salmon from suppliers in Iceland, Scotland and Norway.

The smokery recently began stocking “land-based salmon” farmed in closed systems in Iceland, which it describes as having a reduced environmental footprint and no risk of escape.

The ASA is now reviewing the complaint. If upheld, Severn & Wye could be required to amend its packaging and marketing materials.