France approves EU's largest land-based salmon farm in Gironde despite fierce opposition

The approval

The prefecture of Gironde has authorised construction of a land-based salmon farm at Verdon-sur-Mer, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary. Prefect Sophie Brocas signed the order on 3 August 2026, clearing a project that will become the largest such facility in the European Union. The announcement came on Tuesday 4 August, with the prefecture describing the authorisation as granted "dans un cadre environnemental strict", within a strict environmental framework.

“Le projet répond à plusieurs enjeux d'intérêt général: la reconversion d'une friche industrialo-portuaire à la pointe du Médoc, la création de 250 emplois directs et la production sur le territoire national du poisson le plus consommé par les Français, et actuellement importé à 99%.”

The facility, spread across 14 hectares of a former industrial-port wasteland, carries an investment of 280 million euros. Pure Salmon, backed by a Singaporean investment fund, has been pushing the project since 2022. The company states its production target of 10,000 tonnes per year, housed in around twenty basins with up to 70 kg of fish per cubic metre and approximately 6,500 cubic metres of water, nearly three Olympic swimming pools.

Economic rationale and job figures

The prefecture's statement highlights the project's economic and industrial significance for the region. French marine aquaculture produced only 5,807 tonnes of fish across all species in 2024, according to Ifremer data cited by AGI. The Gironde farm alone aims to nearly double that total with salmon production. Pure Salmon notes that Norwegian production reaches 12,000 tonnes annually, placing the French facility among Europe's largest even if not quite matching Nordic output.

Employment projections differ between sources. The prefecture and most French outlets cite 250 direct jobs, while Pure Salmon and some reports mention 400 positions spanning both construction and operational phases. The site at the tip of the Médoc peninsula represents a brownfield redevelopment on port-industrial land.

“Notre technologie éprouvée garantit un impact maîtrisé sur la biodiversité. Le bien-être animal est au cœur du projet.”

Environmental safeguards and monitoring

The environmental authorisation imposes requirements covering air quality, water resource protection, biodiversity preservation, and management of discharges, waste, noise, and odours. A monitoring commission bringing together state services, local authorities, and environmental associations will track compliance. Operations will proceed in stages, with each phase conditioned on the results of environmental monitoring.

The technology uses a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), which the prefecture describes as adopted by a growing number of fish-producing countries and recognised as the most efficient in terms of water volumes required. Closed-loop systems recycle water and, developers argue, limit environmental impact compared to traditional marine farms by controlling water quality and reducing the risk of pollution or disease spread into the natural environment.

Opposition from residents, scientists, and NGOs

The approval follows sustained opposition. A public enquiry commission issued a favourable opinion on 24 March 2026, but with reservations and several recommendations. The departmental council for the environment and sanitary and technological risks (CODERST) gave its favourable opinion in early July. Despite these procedural endorsements, 27 NGOs signed an Appel pour l'océan denouncing the project as "complètement démesuré", completely disproportionate, warning of threats to Europe's largest and wildest estuary ecosystem, with sludge discharges harming fishing and shellfish farming.

A bill backed by around 100 deputies, tabled in March 2025 but never scheduled for debate in the National Assembly, demands a ten-year moratorium on salmon factory farms. Environmental organisations are now examining legal avenues to challenge the prefectural order in court, according to Mediafax.

What comes next

Construction is expected to begin on the 14-hectare site from 2027. Pure Salmon will proceed under the phased operational ramp-up and continuous monitoring obligations set out in the authorisation. The decision is being watched by the European aquaculture sector, where the Gironde project could serve as a template for large-scale land-based fish farms. A sustained expansion of European production capacity, analysts cited by Mediafax note, could influence availability and pricing on the EU market over the medium term.

The prefecture's order concludes an extended review process during which the project was examined by all competent services and bodies, enriched to better address environmental impacts, and submitted to public consultation. Opponents, however, argue that opening the door to industrial aquaculture on this scale invites an entire industry onto fragile estuarine ecosystems.