"As activists continue to sidestep the democratic process in favour of interrupting work spaces, governments must step up to protect the health and safety of employees working within the laws of the country," writes Mowi Scotland's Director of Communications in Fish Farmer magazine (16 January 2020).
What Mowi's spin doctor failed to mention are the health and safety failures by the salmon farming industry. When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's salmon farm in Loch Alsh 'Special Area of Conservation' in November 2019, Mowi workers acted recklessly in endangering health and safety by ramming a kayak, unclipping a kayak tied safely to the farm and kicking a paddle into the water.
Scottish Salmon Watch filed a formal complaint against Mowi (they changed their name from Marine Harvest in 2019 due to negative consumer perception) with the Health & Safety Executive and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency on 15 November 2019.
Perversely, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (of which Mowi is the leading member) Tweeted shortly after Mowi's health and safety violations in Loch Alsh.
On 12 September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency expressing serious concerns with respect to the reckless behaviour of Mowi (over four months later we have still not received a reply).
The stench from Mowi's operations in Scotland is also leaving a bad smell and giving the company (re-named from Marine Harvest in 2019 despite objections from the Mowinckel family) an ever-escalating PR problem.
"I would be grateful if you can address this matter before it snowballs and gets out of hand," concludes the letter dated 5 January 2020. "I used to work in the accreditation industry and this putting the cart before the horse. It is an affront to any accreditation authority and undermines the whole ethos of quality and third party approval if you can open up a new company implying confirmation at the flick of a pen."
Mr. Johnson signs the letter "Sir" and then points out: "I have not been knighted yet but I am working towards this title, please call me this in the meantime and when addressing your response to me. I hope this demonstrates where this is coming from and where it can lead to".
In a colossal conflict of interest, Organic Sea Harvest's web-site lists two members of Highland Council as directors but this is a Norwegian/Canadian controlled company:
This is not the first time the misleading and deceptive practices of 'Scottish' salmon farming companies have been brought into focus. The Ferret reported in April 2019:
If 'Organic' Sea Harvest do produce 10,000 tonnes of "organic" farmed salmon then it would more than treble Scottish production of "organic" farmed salmon. The latest Scottish Government annual fish farm production survey for 2018 published in September 2019 reports (p33):
With only five salmon farms producing 4,219 tonnes of "organic" farmed salmon in 2018 the average farm size is less than 1,000 tonnes. How 'Organic' Sea Harvest thinks it will produce 2,500 tonnes of "organic" farmed salmon from each site beggars belief. The Observer reported in 2006:
"All four fish had a sea lice load of over 50," states a damning report slipped out on 19 December 2019 by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate of an inspection of Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Kishorn in September 2019. "Sea lice damage was evident on the heads of fish 1, 3 & 4" (only 4 fish were sampled and inspectors only visited one cage due to "very poor" weather).
The Fish Health Inspection report dated 23 October 2019 also detailed disease problems including Salmonid Alphavirus (Pancreas Disease), Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Salmon Gill Poxvirus and Proliferative Gill Disease at Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Kishorn.
Shamefully, the Fish Health Inspectorate did not take photos from their inspection of Scottish Sea Farms lice-infested feedlot in Loch Kishorn in September 2019 (photos from previous inspections of Scottish Sea Farms are available online here and online here).
Download press release in full as a PDF online here
Download the Excel spreadsheet disclosed via FOI by the Scottish Government on 16 December 2019 online here - including the information Scottish Ministers and Scottish Sea Farms did not want the public to see:
Watch a video report from Landcatch's Ormsary Hatchery online here
Data published last week by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate fleshes out Mowi's nightmare 2019 with 1.36 million dead salmon in 112 'Mortality Event Reports'. Here's the 13 worst Mowi salmon farms in terms of mass mortalities during 2019 (data up to the end of October):
Mowi's salmon farm at Bagh Dail nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads) in the Argyll Coast & Islands Hope Spot reported 247,718 dead salmon in five incidents in 2019 (all in September & October) with Pasteurella skyensis, complex gill disease, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Amoebic Gill Disease and a Hydrogen Peroxide treatment cited as reasons for mortalities:
The Sunday National & Ferret reported (10 November 2019):
Mowi's salmon farm at MacLean's Nose in Loch Sunart reported 140,873 dead salmon in six incidents in 2019 (all in May) with Cardiomyopathy Syndrome cited as the reason for mortalities (it appears that Mowi may not have reported the incidents immediately):
Mowi's salmon farm at Camas Glas in Loch Sunart reported 128,361 dead salmon in three incidents in 2019 (all in October) with Pasteurella skyensis cited as the reason for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm at Poll na Gille in Loch Shuna reported 114,514 dead salmon in five incidents in 2019 (all in September & October) with Anaemia, Pasteurella skyensis, complex gill disease, treatment losses and Hydrolicer treatments cited as reasons for mortalities:
Read more background on Mowi's Poll na Gille, Port na Cro and Bagh Dail nan Ceann salmon farm online here
Mowi's salmon farm at SW Shuna (also known as Rubh'an Trilleachain and owned by Kames Fish Farming) reported 95,590 dead salmon in six incidents in 2019 (all in September & October) with complex gill disease, Pasteurella skyensis and Hydrolicer treatment cited as reasons for mortalities:
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's SW Shuna (Rubh'an Trilleachain) salmon farm in July 2019 we saw diseased cleaner fish and salmon:
Read more via a letter sent in July 2019 to Police Scotland and the Animal & Plant Health Agency online here and a media backgrounder online here
Mowi's salmon farm off the Isle of Muck reported 92,164 dead salmon in eight incidents in 2019 (one incident failed to provide data on numbers of morts) with Pancreas Disease, compromised gill health, complex gill disease and treatment losses cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm at Ardintoul in Loch Alsh Special Area of Conservation reported 77,802 dead salmon in four incidents in 2019 (all in October) with Amoebic Gill Disease, complex gill disease, anaemia and Thermolicer treatment losses cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm off the Isle of Rum reported 64,699 dead salmon in eight incidents in 2019 (a further 37,000 were cited in additional information) with Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, compromised gill health and treatment losses cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm in Loch Seaforth on the Isle of Harris reported 58,854 dead salmon in five incidents in 2019 (the mortalities took place in 2018 but it seems that they were first reported by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) with Anaemia, Amoebic Gill Disease and hydrogen peroxide treatment losses cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm at North Shore in Loch Erisort reported 50,521 dead salmon in three incidents in 2019 with Pancreas Disease, complex gill disease and anaemia cited as reasons for mortalities (expect more information to come when the Fish Health Inspectorate publishes their report):
Mowi's salmon farm at Soay on the Isle of Harris reported 36,372 dead salmon in five incidents in 2019 with gill health, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome and treatment loss following Salmosan (Azamethiphos) cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm at Port na Cro in Loch Shuna reported 34,639 dead salmon in five incidents in 2019 (three in October) with Anaemia, complex gill disease, post treatment and Pasteurella skyensis cited as reasons for mortalities:
Mowi's salmon farm at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe reported 34,052 dead salmon in two incidents in 2019 (both in August) with Cardiomyopathy Syndrome and Pasteurella skyensis cited as reasons for mortality (with a Thermolicer treatment suspected of exacerbating mortality):
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's salmon farm at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe in early July 2019 the site was already being harvested out.
Mowi's salmon farm off the Isle of Ewe reported 24,422 dead salmon in 2019 in five separate incidents in 2019 (all in March) with Anaemia cited as a reason for mortalities:
Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's soon-to-be-closed Loch Ewe salmon farm in November 2018 filming nauseating video footage of disease-ridden salmon:
And expect to hear more about problems at Mowi's salmon farm off the Isle of Colonsay with "severe active heart and skeletal muscle damage associated with Pancreas Disease" reported in late October 2019 with a visit by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate scheduled for early November 2019:
During 2019 (up to October), 7 out of 10 of the Top 10 highest mortalities were reported in October with Mowi accounting for 6 out of 10 and Pasteurella skyensis cited in 5 of the cases.
The Press & Journal reported (1 November 2019): "An estimated 24% of fish were lost at nine sea farms along the west coast and Western Isles over the past four months, according to the firm."
The Sunday National & Ferret reported (10 November 2019):
Scottish Salmon Watch is calling on supermarkets to introduce plain packaging for farmed salmon like the "ugly" new packaging for cigarettes.
Here's how packs of Scottish salmon would look like if retailers were forced to be more honest in their advertising and marketing (view all in a photo gallery online via 'Scottish Scamon').
"So-called 'healthy' Scottish salmon is a sham, scam and a consumer con," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Peer-reviewed science shows that salmon farming is unhealthy for our global oceans, both wild and farmed fish as well as our own health. Before buying Scottish salmon shoppers should be faced with gruesome photos of diseased and deformed fish."
"Anyone who watches the sickening videos of horrific welfare abuse inside salmon feedlots would seriously think twice before supporting such a toxic and unhealthy industry," continued Staniford. "Instead of being branded as 'RSPCA Assured', 'organic' and 'responsibly sourced', Scottish salmon should be sold in plain packaging like tobacco. Salmon farming should carry Government health warnings in terms of environmental health, animal health and public health."
Scottish Salmon Watch has filed a formal complaint against Norwegian salmon giant Mowi (formerly called Marine Harvest) with the Health & Safety Executive and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency following incidents in Loch Alsh on 2 November 2019.
"Drone footage clearly shows that Mowi endangered the health and safety of the general public during an inspection of a salmon farm in Loch Alsh 'Special Area of Conservation'," wrote Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Mowi staff deliberately rammed a kayak, drove at high speed past a small dingy, unclipped a kayak tied safely to the farm, kicked a paddle into the water and scraped a work boot down my Achilles tendon. Mowi's behaviour on 2 November at Ardgour was both reckless and dangerous. Since Scottish Salmon Watch plans further unannounced site inspections and sampling near salmon farms it is a hoped that a protocol can be put in place urgently to properly police surveillance of this unhealthy and unsafe industry."
Here's photo stills grabbed from drone video footage taken ca. 8am on 2 November 2019 at Mowi's Ardgour salmon farm in Loch Alsh (drone footage has been shared with the Health & Safety Executive and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency):
Here's the Mowi work boat recklessly speeding past a tiny dinghy safely navigating and filming in public waters:
Here's Mowi deliberately ramming into my safely tied kayak (luckily it was not badly battered and I was able to kayak back to shore):
When the Mowi work boat leaves the cage the engines cause unnecessary stress to the farmed salmon (unlike a kayak which operates quietly and without a motor):
Here's a Mowi worker scraping his work boot down my Achilles heel (not once but twice) as they surround and intimidate me (audio recordings of the interactions will hopefully be made available):
The same Mowi worker (he also called me a "cunt", "beady eyed" and mouthed "fuck you") is seen here untying my kayak which was safely clipped onto the cage and then throwing the safety rope into the water:
The Mowi worker is then filmed kicking my paddle into the water with the unclipped kayak now dangerous drifting away from the farm (at the same time another Mowi worker is ironically asking me to leave the site - even though my paddle and kayak are in danger of floating off into Loch Alsh):
When the Mowi worker fails to kick the paddle into the loch he moves to try for a second attempt (as a Mowi work boat emblazoned with the words "Safety First" docks alongside the cage). He appears to stop and looks up at the drone filming his every move:
The kayak floats along the cage as the Mowi worker seems to be beckoning the work boat to smash it against the farm:
Smile - you're on camera!
As Mowi staff walk away a worker succeeds in kicking the paddle into the water (leaving me up shitty salmon creek without a paddle):
Perversely, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (of which Mowi is the leading member) Tweeted shortly after Mowi's health and safety violations in Loch Alsh.
Scottish Salmon Watch continued to film safely and bio-securely at Mowi's salmon farm and waited in vain for Police Scotland to arrive (a Mowi worker told me when he first approached: "I've phoned my mate from the police and they're on their way").
Later that morning after we had returned to the shore, a Mowi worker ensured that Mowi's bins full of disease-ridden salmon were tightly tied shut to stop people seeing the horrors inside:
In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency expressing serious concerns with respect to the reckless behaviour of Mowi (over two months later we have still not received a reply).
"You accessed the Ardintoul Farm [on 2 November 2019] with the assistance of dinghies and a kayak. There was unauthorised recording, of both Company property and Company site personnel, and the use of a drone. Specifically, you accessed walkways belonging to the Ardintoul Farm cages, see Image 1. You were seen penetrating the above-surface netting of the cage with what appears to be an electronic device and inserting the said device below the water surface of the cage, see Image 2. Your incursion and activities occurred without obtaining the permission of the Company"
"Further, you were asked by Company site personnel to remove yourself from the pen walkway, and you refused to comply to these requests. The health and safety risk you posed to yourself and others prevented important work from continuing at the site. The Company’s work vessel approaching the pen walkway operates a crane – a hard hat is required to be worn in the vicinity of an operational crane. You appear not to be in possession of a hard hat and thus prevented staff from continuing with their work duties. Your incursion, activities and verbal interactions with the Company’s site personnel has caused them stress and anxiety. They were concerned for their safety when you refused to remove yourself from the pen walkway. The Company site personnel felt threatened by your actions and words and by the actions of your eight accomplices."
"At around 9.45am, you and two accomplices approached the perimeter of the Company’s onshore structures. You carried out unauthorised recording, of both Company property and Company site personnel. Again, your approach and recording caused the Company’s site personnel stress and anxiety. They felt threated (sic) by your actions and by the actions of your two accomplices."
"This incident has been reported to the police in line with the Company’s policy for responding to intruders."
"The Company is concerned that your activities impact fish health and welfare; your own personal safety; staff health, safety and wellbeing; and property rights and obligations. These concerns apply not only to this site, but to all sites (the “Sites”) operated throughout Scotland by the Company. As well as the risk to fish health and welfare, the Company has duties to its staff, its regulators, the Crown Estate and the public to ensure that it prevents your potentially hazardous interference with the Company’s Sites. For those reasons, it will be forced to take further action unless you co-operate with its requests and desist from further unauthorised access at any of its properties and workplaces."
"In the circumstances detailed above, and in order to protect fish, visitors, staff and property, the Company requires you to desist from taking any further unauthorised access to, or having any further unauthorised interaction with, the Sites and requests that you provide an undertaking to desist in the terms contained in the undernote to this letter. It also require you to provide the full names of your unknown seven accomplices."
"If you refuse or delay to confirm your undertaking in these terms the Company will be left with no choice but to take steps to protect the Company’s Sites, and its rights in relation thereto, through the courts. No further warning will be given. We trust that will not be necessary and look forward to receiving the signed undertaking by no later than Thursday, 14th November 2019."
Here's the undertaking which I've refused to sign:
Here's my initial reply dated 12 November 2019:
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Tue, Nov 12, 2019 at 8:19 PM Subject: Re: Letter issued by email to Mr Don Staniford from Mowi Scotland Limited regarding unauthorised access at Ardintoul - November 2019 To: McSherry, Euan <emcsherry@acandco.com>
Euan,
Without prejudice.
You really must start getting your facts correct. As I have pointed out previously (see previous correspondence) it is vital that you do not make basic factual errors.
2) You incorrectly state that Elly Edwards "attended" Mowi's Ardintoul salmon farm on 2 November 2019. Elly Edwards was miles away at the time of the inspection visit looking after children.
3) Your use of the word "threated" is either legal jargon I am unfamiliar with or you are in need of a spell-checker as well as a fact checker.
4) Notwithstanding your erroneous usage of the word "accomplices" your basic Maths needs correcting - is it eight (as you suggest at one point) or seven as you suggest at another point?
5) You claim that Mowi staff experienced "stress and anxiety" when I legally filmed at the Ardintoul land base (there was no trespass and I respectfully stayed outside the perimeter). Don't you think their stress and anxiety was caused by Mowi staff worried that the disease-ridden mortalities which were kept in bins would be discovered as evidence of welfare abuse and breach of the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006?
In terms of the legal points raised I will obviously need to seek special legal counsel in Scotland as the issues you highlight are special to Scots. Since I live in England and have family commitments I will not be able to meet in person with a lawyer in Scotland this week.
You may wish to note now that the "unauthorised incursion" (again you should be much more careful with your words as there was no unauthorised access) at Mowi's Loch Arkaig salmon farm in July 2019 led to media coverage in The Sunday Times:
Our visit to Mowi's Bagh Dail Nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads) salmon farm in July 2019 prompted an investigation by the Animal & Plant Health Agency as well as the Fish Health Inspectorate - as detailed by Mowi in a press release on 30 October 2019:
Finally, please be aware that the drone which you refer to captured various Health & Safety breaches by Mowi staff including unclipping my kayak, kicking my paddle in the water and attempting to ram my safely secured kayak (not to mention a member of Mowi staff deliberately scraping down my Achilles heel with his work boot and calling me a "cunt" and "beady eyed"). I will endeavour to ensure that this footage is made available to Mowi and the court if Mowi does take this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Don Staniford
Director of Scottish Salmon Watch
Mowi have repeatedly issued legal threats in an attempt to stop Scottish Salmon Watch from filming - including in July 2019 after Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at Bagh Dail Nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads) - read online here
The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation Tweeted immediately following Scottish Salmon Watch's visit to Mowi's Ardgour salmon farm on 2nd November 2019.
Video footage of mass mortalities piled high in skips has been amassed by Scottish Salmon Watch via secret filming at salmon farms across Scotland during 2018 and 2019.
Here's photos of Mowi's dead, diseased and decaying salmon at their land base in Ardintoul taken during a visit on 2nd November 2019 (Mowi admitted earlier this month that the mortality rate at some sites is running at 24% but some cages have reported mortality rates of over 50%).
When Scottish Salmon Watch filmed inside one salmon cage at Mowi's Ardintoul sea farm there was visible white head and fin damage and unhealthy looking fish (despite poor visibility and light conditions - it was just after sunrise at ca. 8am).
From the surface of the cage there appeared to be what looked like the carcass of a dead farmed salmon trapped in the net.
Sadly, filming at Ardintoul was interrupted by Mowi workers and boats who unclipped my kayak, kicked my paddle into the water and claimed the Police were on their way (drone footage of events will hopefully be made available soon).
Scottish Salmon Watch visited Ardintoul following a tip-off from a whistleblower who claimed that the area was a graveyard for the corpses of diseased farmed salmon and was "awash with mort juice".
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's Ardintoul site on 2nd November 2019 there were two Gogar skips with the warning "Not for Human Consumption" (sadly we did not have the opportunity to open the lid to video the diseased salmon inside).
For those with a strong stomach, here's video footage of a Billy Bowie skip full of diseased salmon at Mowi's salmon farm at Gorsten in Loch Linnhe.
A Mowi worker (believed to be the same person who called me a "cunt" and scraped his work boat down my Achilles tendon earlier that morning) was filmed tying up mort bins to ensure against prying eyes or Go Pro cameras.
The Press & Journal reported (1 November 2019): "An estimated 24% of fish were lost at nine sea farms along the west coast and Western Isles over the past four months, according to the firm."
The Sunday National & Ferret reported (10 November 2019):
Earlier this month, Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that the Scottish Government had failed in their attempt to block the disclosure of information detailing where Scottish Sea Farms import salmon ova (eggs).
Mowi's disease-ridden salmon feedlots in Scotland were featured by the BBC's Farming Today show yesterday (13 November 2019) - listen online here
Nancy Nicolson of BBC Farming Today grilled Mowi's environmental manager Stephen McIntyre (formerly with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) on Mowi's 24% mortality rate and "incredibly difficult" farming conditions in such an exposed location.
Photo: Skinless Mowi salmon - flayed alive and battered to death at Mowi's salmon farm in Carradale in Kilbrannan Sound in March 2018
BBC Farming Today interviewed Dr Sally Campbell of the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation on the toxic chemicals and waste impacts of salmon farms.
In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch exposed how Mowi's salmon farm off the Isle of Rum (the site visited by Nancy Nicolson of BBC Farming Today) was suffering from infectious diseases and welfare problems.
Scottish Salmon Watch today (13 November 2019) wrote to Scottish Ministers reiterating the call to ban Thermolicers from operating on salmon farms in Scotland:
"Thermolicer treatment started on 24th June for 4 days. Fish with bleeding gills, "collision damage" and heart damage" (Mowi's Craig an Tsagairt salmon farm in Loch Hourn in July 2019)
"Biomarkers showed muscle fatigue, but a physical treatment for sea lice was required causing the increase in mortalities" (The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Taranaish in Loch Roag in June 2018)
"Thermolicer treatment on one cage. Decided not to treat other cages with Thermolicer" (Mowi's salmon farm at Caolas A Deas in Loch Shell in November 2017)
"Losses following Thermolicer treatment. Thought to be fish weakened by HSMI" (Scottish Sea Farms' salmon farm at Nevis A in Loch Nevis in April 2017)
"Post Hydrolicer treatment, fish with compromised health did not survive the treatment well - mechanical damage" (The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Quarry Point in Loch Fyne in March 2017)
Here's mortality event reports where physical treatments such as a Thermolicer and Hydrolicer are cited:
Here's photos from a Fish Health Inspectorate visit to The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Portree in February 2019 - including "visible damage to the heads of fish", skeletal muscle necrosis, dermatitis, lesions "likely associated with mechanical damage", anorexia, bilateral exopthalmia, petechial haemorrhaging, salmon gill poxvirus, Neoparamoeba perurans (the causative agent of Amoebic Gill Disease), Paranculeospora theridon, Vibrio spp, Photobacterium sp and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus:
The boss of beleaguered salmon farming giant Mowi has seemingly paid the ultimate price for mass mortalities and infectious diseases crippling feedlots operated by the world's #1 company all over the globe. Fish Farmer reported (12 November 2019):
Seafood Source reported just yesterday (11 November 2019) that the Atlantic Salmon Federation had criticised Mowi's cover-up.
"Company owners and shareholders have consistently put themselves and their profits above all other users of the marine environment," said ASF Community Outreach Coordinator Steve Sutton. Atlantic Salmon Federation Executive Director of Communications Neville Crabbe told SeafoodSource (1 November 2019).
"CBC News requested a site tour from Northern Harvest Sea Farms, a subsidiary of MOWI, but that request was denied," reported CBC News (2 October 2019).
It's not hard to see why Mowi do not want cameras coming close to their cages.
Mowi's salmon farm at Bagh Dail Nan Ceann (Bay of the Dead Heads) also detailed mortality and disease problems in cleaner fish in the FHI June 2019 report (with "craters disease" cited).
Download press release in full as a PDF online here
Protestors dressed as Frankenfish, zombies and skeletons will be raising hell on Halloween next week (31 October) outside Mowi's noisy and stinky feed factory on the Isle of Skye.
"The Scottish Government is responsible for a real-life horror story involving dead and deaf seals, scared whales and dolphins and tens of millions of fish being eaten alive by disease and parasites. Salmon farming shames Scotland and desecrates our beautiful coastal waters and once pristine beaches. Instead of promoting salmon farming Nicola Sturgeon and her Ministers should be policing it and prosecuting the many farmers breaching the Animal Health and Welfare Act and polluting our seas and beaches."
Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch, said:
"Scottish salmon farming is an X-rated horror show. If anyone still has doubts how horrific conditions are inside a salmon farm then please take a look if you dare at the gruesome photos of Scottish salmon obtained via Freedom of Information and secret filming. Scottish salmon is the nightmare at Christmas which should be avoided like the plague. Please take the pledge not to eat farmed salmon even RSPCA Assured, 'responsibly sourced' and so-called 'organic' salmon."
Anna Liberadzki of SumOfUs said:
"Scotland’s so-called 'sustainable' salmon is actually a welfare horror show. From many farms we’ve seen gruesome images of damaged and diseased salmon, with sea lice feeding on their open wounds. Marine Scotland has so far ignored the calls of over 44,000 SumOfUS members to conduct immediate, unannounced on-the-spot inspections of all Scottish salmon farms to assess fish welfare. While we’re waiting for these vital investigations, the Scottish government must step in and halt all salmon farm expansion – right now."
