A Scottish company has enlisted a team of university scientists to help it market smoked salmon from environmentally-friendly fish farms.

Ghillie and Glen, of Inverurie, near Aber-deen, has been working with the Guild of Conservation Grade Producers to develop a code of quality standards on salmon farms.

The team of aquaculture specialists from Aberdeen University will monitor farms to see if they are suitable for the scheme, which the firm hopes will prove a success with both environmentalists and housewives.

Dr Stewart McLelland, Ghillie and Glen's group technical manager, explained that the rigorous standards would ensure only the ''greenest'' fish farms will supply the fish.

He said: ''There are four key areas that determine whether a farm will be suitable for supplying conservation grade salmon.

''We consider the location of the site, husbandry, environmental impact and flesh quality.

''Central to the scheme is traceability, and we demand that the farmer can link all stocks from egg to final product.''

Bill Hazeldean, chairman of Ghillie and Glen, said the company's areas of concernl concern would appeal to consumers.