Scottish salmon is an iconic global brand. Our fish sell at a premium in the top restaurants of New York and the sushi bars of Asia. We are the UK’s number one food export.
Our new Sustainability Charter establishes principles and actions. It sets out what our member companies and the salmon supply chain will do to meet the net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2045. Sustainability must underpin everything we do. The way we care about our fish and protect their local environment. Sourcing responsibly. Developing our people. Listening to our communities.
Scotland is uniquely placed to be in the vanguard of the blue revolution. As the Scottish, UK and global economies emerge from the shadow of Covid-19 there’s a significant opportunity to grow the production of Scottish salmon in a sustainable way; to create much-needed new jobs; and to share the financial benefits of growth with the rural and island communities where we work.
The role of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation is to create the conditions for the long-term sustainable growth of the Scottish Salmon sector. It is to maintain its position as Scotland and the UK's leading food product by representing the interests of our member companies and working to promote “Scottish Salmon” the brand.
The role
We wish to employ a proven communications professional to promote the salmon farming sector’s interests across the media and with key stakeholders.
The successful candidate will report to the SSPO CEO and lead a small team of communications professionals to build proactive multi-media campaigns with associated advertising, delivering effective, targeted and consistent digital media output, managing reactive communications and co-ordinate responsive media activity from local, national and international news and media outlets.
Key Responsibilities
Develop and effectively manage the SSPO’s communications strategy.
Maximise the SSPO and Scottish salmon sector’s reputation and brand positioning externally.
Competently develop and control reactive communications relating to the sector.
Lead the development and implementation of the SSPO’s approach to external and internal sector communications, engaging with staff in the development of the approach.
Support the development of a stakeholder engagement strategy and support the Director of Strategic Engagement in its implementation.
Proactively lead public relations, communications, marketing and media support activities to ensure high quality coverage which accurately reflects the SSPO’s strategic messages, values and identity.
Oversee the SSPO’s social media channels, develop creative digital content and liaise with stakeholders across member companies, government, public agencies, ENGOs and trade bodies.
Act as an external spokesperson for the SSPO, deputising for the CEO or Director of Strategic Engagement as appropriate.
Provide professional advice and collaborative leadership to the SSPO’s member communications teams on all sector-wide communications and marketing matters.
Ensure SSPO communications priorities are aligned to those of key stakeholders.
Represent the SSPO in engaging and liaising with members, media organisations, external partners and agencies including Scotland Food and Drink Partnership and the International Salmon Farmers Association.
Prepare papers, briefs and submissions on key communication issues for the SSPO Management team and Board of Directors.
Willingness to work flexibly, including attendance at evening events/meetings both internal and external to the SSPO.
Travel in UK and abroad.
Required Knowledge / Experience
Essential
A degree or equivalent in media studies, journalism, public relations, public policy, politics, media design or a related subject.
Skilled in the use of digital and social media.
Experience of dealing with the media.
A thorough working knowledge of communications management, media and social media.
Knowledge of the Scottish, UK political, business and media landscape.
Experience of reactive communications handling and stakeholder management
Confident in representing a high-profile organisation and sector across all media platforms.
Experience of media relations at local, regional and national level.
Excellent communications skills – clear speaking and writing style with a track record of networking and relationship building.
A proven ability to develop and deliver communications and advocacy strategies quickly and accurately.
Desirable
Knowledge and experience in dealing with international media would be a distinct advantage.
Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Flexibility in your approach and willing to take on other work as the sector and external agenda evolves.
A knowledge of the food and drink sector would be an advantage.
An inquisitive approach to ensure the organisation’s approach to media issues is robust.
Experience of leading and co-ordinating multi-disciplinary professionals.
Website management a desirable skillset
The Person
You will …..
Have a strong work ethic, be keen to succeed, and be comfortable talking and communicating within and beyond the team.
Be self-motivated, flexible and adaptable with positive approach to managing change.
Be a strategic and creative thinker with a positive attitude.
Be comfortable representing the SSPO at external meetings with stakeholders.
Be highly organised with a methodical approach to work.
Be able to work independently and proactively.
Demonstrate great problem-solving skills.
Have strong communications skills, both written and verbal.
Display emotional intelligence – calm in the face of adversity and able to work in a fast-paced environment with high drive and energy levels.
Be a real team player.
If you love daunting challenges, like putting out fires, are comfortable telling a pack of lies & like being paid lots of £££££s to be a mouthpiece for the Norwegian Salmafia in Scotland then the new job as Head of Communications at Scottish Salmon is for you! @SSPOsayspic.twitter.com/lZv9FBOTEW
Scottish Salmon's 'Head of Communications' will: "Oversee the SSPO’s social media channels, develop creative digital content & liaise with stakeholders across member companies, government, public agencies, ENGOs & trade bodies" https://t.co/HH5wtjJWg2@SSPOsays@HamishMacdonellpic.twitter.com/yrX1DpNxA3
Compassion in World Farming investigated 22 salmon farms in four months between September & December 2020 using cameras, drones & divers. APHA 'inspected' 22 salmon farms in six years (2014 to 2019)! How many did @rspcaassured inspect? https://t.co/vgp2qsBh4g@media_ciwfpic.twitter.com/jMBQsCJZUF
Far from being active, most of my time is spent sat down on a chair in front of a computer screen trawling through data on mass mortalities and infectious diseases published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate. Granted, data-crunching can get extreme.......extremely boring.
Extreme Activism #1 (in an occasional series @tavishscott): After dressing the kids, dropping Dad off at the dentist, walking the dog & washing up I clicked onto a Government website to check for infectious diseases killing Scottish salmon @marinescotlandhttps://t.co/r6jks42ZdA
World Exclusive: What does it take to be labelled an "extreme activist"? I've been called many things - 'eco-terrorist', 'salmon farming nemesis', 'fish farm bogeyman', 'prophet of doom', 'salmon's No.1 enemy' & 'c**t' (I get that a lot). Here's the scoop!https://t.co/lNyg86xk9fpic.twitter.com/pr5hcUqsIU
"Extreme activists" need extremely supportive family & friends - if you want to support extreme activism which may involve working at a computer, filing FOI requests & undercover filming please donate now! https://t.co/g6azvbBrZTpic.twitter.com/owBGxqbzP4
"Anyone visiting the four museums when they reopen will notice that farmed salmon has been banished entirely from its cafes and restaurants" @Tatehttps://t.co/bVjSq41j8M@MSNBC@CookingSections Please join the global boycott against farmed salmon!
Will the public be able to view environmental risk assessment data on Imidacloprid (BMK08) on the Dark Web before it is approved for use in salmon farming in Scotland? @ScottishEPA@FOIScotlandpic.twitter.com/ii4K4i0al5
Mark Ruskell MSP: "There is a startling lack of transparency, with @FergusEwingMSP always ready to approve the next sticking plaster approach to the chronic animal health and welfare issues caused by the industry" https://t.co/6u7ZifHNFo@markruskell@scotgp@ScottishEPA
Bald statement that all of this poison will be removed from the discharge water. Given the huge amount of human error in this industry how can we trust that, even if it’s scientifically possible.
Fish Farmer magazine reported in February 2020 that more than 35,000 tonnes of Norwegian farmed salmon at five farms had been treated with Imidacloprid (BMK08) "over the past 24 months":
Scottish Salmon Watch has asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage (Nature Scotland), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Scottish Government and even Benchmark for copies of any environmental risk assessments regarding the use of Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan) use in salmon farming but have been denied at every turn.
The question seems to be not if but when the 'green' Scottish Government raise a glass to Imidacloprid-marinaded Scottish salmon and drink to the success of Benchmark's "environmentally friendly" water purification system CleanTreat.
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sat, Apr 17, 2021 at 7:45 AM Subject: FOI re. Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark since 8 June 2020 To: AccesstoInformation <foi@sepa.org.uk> Cc: Pollard, Peter <peter.pollard@sepa.org.uk>, Ahearn, Terry <terry.ahearn@sepa.org.uk>, Media <publicrelations@sepa.org.uk>, Mackinnon, Alison <Alison.Mackinnon@sepa.org.uk>, Sinclair, Douglas <douglas.sinclair@sepa.org.uk>
Please provide any information on Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat and Benchmark since 8 June 2020.
Please include emails, reports, risk assessments, modelling results, surveys, photos, letters, Excel data and any other information in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Please detail any meetings and online phone calls (e.g. Zoom) with Benchmark, SSPO, salmon farming companies, Scottish Government officials, SNH or any other parties in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Scottish Salmon Watch was alarmed to read in the trade press yesterday that Benchmark have appointed an environmental modeller (Meghan Rochford) - formerly employed by Grieg Seafood, The Scottish Salmon Company and Marine Harvest/Mowi - to gear up for the use of Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan) in salmon farming in Scotland.
SEPA stated in an email from Peter Pollard dated 26 June 2020:
"SEPA is not planning to commission and publish a scientific dossier on the environmental impacts of imidacloprid..... In the case of imidacloprid, there are currently no established coastal water environmental standards to review. There are also no authorised discharges into coastal waters. Before we would consider authorising any discharges of imidacloprid, we would require the applicant to provide the necessary data to identify a suitable environmental standard in the form of a predicted no effect concentration. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the scientific information for this purpose"
Scottish Salmon Watch was hoping to wait to file this FOI request until the ruling from the Scottish Information Commissioner (as filed in February 2020) but it seems that if we wait any longer then Imidacloprid will already be used commercially at salmon farms across Scotland.
Please consider this a formal FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
Scottish Salmon Watch also filed another FOI request with the Scottish Government (following up a FOI request dated 26 October 2020):
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sat, Apr 17, 2021 at 3:48 PM Subject: FOI re. Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark since 26 October 2020 To: <CEU@gov.scot>
Please include emails, reports, risk assessments, modelling results, surveys, photos, letters, Excel data and any other information in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Please detail any meetings and online phone calls (e.g. Zoom) with Benchmark, SSPO, salmon farming companies, Scottish Government officials, SEPA, SNH or any other parties in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Scottish Salmon Watch was alarmed to read in the trade press yesterday that Benchmark have appointed an environmental modeller (Meghan Rochford) - formerly employed by Grieg Seafood, The Scottish Salmon Company and Marine Harvest/Mowi - to gear up for the use of Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan) in salmon farming in Scotland.
Please consider this a formal FOI request under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
And a FOI was filed with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sat, Apr 17, 2021 at 4:01 PM Subject: FOI re. Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark since 26 October 2020 To: Andrew Saunders <a.saunders@vmd.gov.uk>
Please include emails, reports, risk assessments, modelling results, surveys, photos, letters, Excel data and any other information in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Please detail any meetings and online phone calls (e.g. Zoom) with Benchmark, SSPO, salmon farming companies, Scottish Government officials, SEPA, SNH or any other parties in relation to Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan), CleanTreat & Benchmark.
Please include any discussions and information relating EU approval and an MRL.
Fish Farming Expert reported yesterday:
"Aquaculture health, genetics and nutrition company Benchmark Holdings today said that the MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) for its novel sea lice treatment BMK08 has been ratified under European Union law. The ratification follows an opinion adopted by the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use in September last year recommending the inclusion of BMK08’s active pharmaceutical ingredient in fin fish as an allowed substance regarding maximum residue limits in foodstuffs of animal origin":
Scottish Salmon Watch was alarmed to read in the trade press yesterday that Benchmark have appointed an environmental modeller (Meghan Rochford) - formerly employed by Grieg Seafood, The Scottish Salmon Company and Marine Harvest/Mowi - to gear up for the use of Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan) in salmon farming in Scotland.
The walls of the farm are bedecked with fresh flowers and chintzy curtains. If you peer closely into the churning mass of trapped fish you will see some of them sipping tea from china cups. So the short answer: total bullshit!!
Historically the Wye and the Severn were great salmon rivers, but that was quite a long time ago. It is a season’s work to catch one nowadays. The Faroe Isles are a fairly controversial place to do, business with in it’s own right.
— Bruce 🏴☠️ 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 💙 💉🦠 (@BruceSCrawford) April 15, 2021
Does the use of the word "boutique" break any marketing and advertising laws?
What is a boutique salmon farm? Is that word normally allowed by trading standards to describe any farm?
🙄😡 'Boutique comes from a French word of the same spelling, which means any small shop. The word has its roots in the Greek word apotheke, meaning "a warehouse."'
Good question - I think "boutique" salmon means that Rick goes shopping for his pharmed salmon at an organic, natural & "free-range" farm in the Faroes. "The quality of these beautiful fish is close to wild salmon" https://t.co/7iASW5Iqac#Bollocks#Scampic.twitter.com/1U0Df3Tox3
Is Rick Stein misleading shoppers by advertising his salmon as smoked "on the edge of the Royal Forest of Dean between two of England's most celebrated salmon rivers" if it comes from farms in Ireland, Scotland, Faroes or Australia? @Rick_Stein@SevernWyehttps://t.co/LJd5ZpLPA4pic.twitter.com/4v9t7xJiz7
Scottish Salmon Watch seriously doubts that Rick Stein is sourcing wild salmon from the River Wye, River Severn or other English rivers. Seafood Source reported in 2015:
"VAR 'free range' Salmon is a farmed fish from a pioneering whole wild Salmon producer off the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands VAR Salmon farming process is centred around the welfare of the fish from fish egg to the eventual harvest of the whole salmon, where the fish is farmed in its natural environment without the use of chemicals or antibiotics, making this salmon a premium species. The quality of these beautiful fish is close to wild salmon"
Surely farmed salmon - forced to spend their lives in cramped cages - are by definition not "free range"?
How is VAR salmon farmed by a "pioneering whole wild Salmon producer"?
When your web-site states that it is farmed "without the use of chemicals" is this really true?
Surely the salmon farming company behind VAR 'free-range' salmon uses Hydrogen Peroxide, Emamectin benzoate, Deltamethrin, Azamethiphos, Formaldehyde, disinfectants, colourings, adjuvants or other chemicals in the hatchery and/or sea cage farming process?
Which salmon farming company in the Faroes is your VAR salmon sourced from?
HiddenFjord's web-site does not currently claim not to use chemicals. It states: "We use no antibiotics or hormones in our farming" (via https://hiddenfjord.com/our-products)
Scottish Salmon Watch is looking for site specific information on the two Faroese salmon farms sourced by Rick Stein. If they are sourced from Hiddenfjord then they are not currently certified as 'environmentally friendly' by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council - who currently certify 18 salmon farms in the Faroes including Bakkafrost and Mowi salmon farms:
It is not surprising that the identity of the Faroese salmon farmer supplying Rick Stein with non-boutique farmed salmon appears hidden from public view - the Faroe Islands hardly has a good reputation as viewers of Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' will know.
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Mowi's "healthy" salmon farm in Loch Torridon in September 2020 the farmed salmon on display in a tanker full of dead fish did not look very healthy (no wonder Mowi's lawyers desperately want us to sling our hook).
Mowi's 'fresh' salmon from the Outer Hebrides look particularly tasty, yummy, healthy and are RSPCA Assured 'welfare friendly' to make you buy with in good conscience!
Is Rick Stein misleading shoppers by advertising his salmon as smoked "on the edge of the Royal Forest of Dean between two of England's most celebrated salmon rivers" if it comes from farms in Ireland, Scotland, Faroes or Australia? @Rick_Stein@SevernWyehttps://t.co/LJd5ZpLPA4pic.twitter.com/4v9t7xJiz7
I would show you more but the others are all whitened out blank space with a tiny black square in the middle. Scottish Salmon Watch understands - from video footage and photographs which were published last year - that the information redacted by APHA included evidence of welfare abuse in Loch Creran 'Special Area of Conservation'.
APHA's heavily censored FOI disclosure (13 April 2021) included a welfare complaint filed appropriately on Halloween last year. The complaint regarding an "urgent animal welfare issue" has been redacted along with what is understood to be video footage and/or photographic evidence of welfare abuse at Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Creran (a salmon farm accredited via RSPCA Assured and sold via M&S as "responsibly sourced").
Here's another document disclosed by APHA on 13 April 2021:
Scottish Salmon Watch will be filing a FOI review request asking APHA to provide all the information requested including the heavily redacted reports and complaints concerning welfare abuse on salmon farms. Here's APHA covering letter dated 13 April 2021 explaining their reasons for censorship.
Here's all the documents - many heavily redacted - disclosed by APHA to Scottish Salmon Watch on 13 April 2021:
Documents disclosed by APHA to Scottish Salmon Watch via FOI on 13 April 2021 included reports of welfare abuse at Grieg Seafood's salmon farms in Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.
Mortalities at another Grieg Seafood salmon farm in Loch Dunvegan (Leinish) were even higher - a staggering 107,700 in one week representing 28% mortality - as reported by APHA during an inspection with Marine Scotland on 25 August 2020.
Unbelievably, APHA signed off this appalling case of over 150,000 farmed salmon dying in a five-week period as "compliant".
And those APHA inspectors work so quickly that in less than five hours they 'inspected' over a quarter of a million fish taking action against zero (presumably the 150,000+ fish that just died did not need any action to be taken)!
Mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (the lobby group representing the predominantly Norwegian-owned 'Scottish' salmon farming industry) reveals that Grieg Seafood reported a cummulative mortality rate of almost 80% - that's four out of every five fish dying - at their Leinish salmon farm in Dunvegan and just over 50% at their Corlarach salmon farm in Loch Dunvegan!
Such staggering levels of mortality and welfare abuse beg the question: at what level of mortality does the RSPCA, SSPCA, APHA and the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate deem there to be welfare abuse? If four out of five lambs in a field were dying or four out of every five cows dropped dead the general public would be outraged.
Further documents disclosed by APHA to Scottish Salmon Watch on 13 April 2021 paint a picture of a so-called animal health agency engaged in whitewashing welfare abuse. Here's documents disclosed in relation to welfare abuse at a freshwater salmon farm operated by Kames Fish Farming in Loch Tralaig in Argyll.
The day after the complaint was filed by Scottish Salmon Watch, it seems that Kames had been tipped off about APHA's joint inspection visit with the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.
Here's APHA's 'Report on Fish Welfare for Scottish Government' providing details of the inspection visit on 17 September 2020 (Kames therefore had plenty of time to clean up their disease-ridden salmon farming operation).
Another 'Fish Farm Inspection Report' marked "Official-Sensitive" detailed how APHA inspected 70% of 200,100 fish at the RSPCA Assured Loch Tralaig salmon farm in September 2020.
Here's video footage of Kames using the cancer-causing chemical Formalin (Formaledhye) to treat for disease in RSPCA Assured farmed salmon at Loch Tralaig.
It seems that salmon farming companies are aware of APHA 'inspections' in advance. In another case disclosed by APHA via FOI, it seems that the head veterinarian at Scottish Sea Farms (who was appointed chair of the SSPCA in 2018) was aware of a "possible APHA visit" to his Scallastle Bay salmon farm beforehand.
And it seems that by the time APHA did visit Scallastle Bay all the farmed salmon had been harvested out!
Reading between the redacted lines, it appears that APHA's 'inspection' of Scallastle Bay was prompted by a complaint in October 2020 which attached ca. 19 photos.
And it appears that APHA tipped Scottish Sea Farms off regarding the outcome of their 'investigation' (Scottish Salmon Watch will be following this up with DEFRA).
Is it just me or does this case smell of collusion if not corruption?
This whole case - and others - do smell decidedly fishy. Here's APHA's 'Welfare Incident Record & Veterinary Assessment' dated 13 October 2020 for Scallastle Bay salmon farm (Scottish Sea Farms).
A 'Report on Fish Welfare for Scottish Government' dated 22 October 2020 detailed disease problems at Scallastle Bay salmon farm including Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, mass mortalities, use of toxic chemicals (Emamectin benzoate, Azamethiphos and Hydrogen peroxide) and repeated mechanical treatment of lice infestation with Thermolicers and Hydrolicers. APHA's report cited another welfare complaint for an RSPCA Assured salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Spelve (even though APHA spelt it Spelvie) also on the Isle of Mull.
A 'Fish Farm Welfare Inspection Report' for Scallastle Bay - which again cites another welfare complaint regarding Loch Spelve (again spelt incorrectly) details how APHA's 'inspection' of RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms involved zero fish since the farm had been depopulated (i.e. all the evidence had been taken away) and the site was therefore "empty at the time of the inspection". The report referred to photos of lice infestation but did not include them and stated that "by the picture provided it's not possible to make any valuation on the extent of this infestation across the farm". Another picture of a damaged fish was attributed to a seal attack and was "investigated with analysis of predator policy and records".
The botched 'investigations' and breathtakingly bad detective work of so-called 'inspectors' does make you question the level of competence.
Shocking mortalities revealed in Loch Spelve (Isle of Mull) @scotseafarms due to Complex Gill Disease. The site was stocked with 382,344 farmed salmon - 199,124 culled; 177,588 morts & 24,000 harvested https://t.co/ZeaqMoyyH1 40% mortality reported by @SSPOsays in October 2019 pic.twitter.com/Emov4npDWz
Telephone inspection of @scotseafarms by @marinescotland in Loch Spelve - 366,000+ fish die (199,124 culled & 177,588 morts). Fish start dying on 16 Sept & site is fallowed on 29 Oct yet 'Mortality Event Reports' are dated 14 Nov with zero 'inspection' until phone call on 15 Nov pic.twitter.com/AHzlw7SrTo
The FOI disclosure by APHA to Scottish Salmon Watch on 13 April 2021 also gives a glimpse into how super-speedy the 'inspectors' work. A 'Fish Farm Welfare Inspection Report' of the Barcaldine Smolt Unit operated by Scottish Sea Farms dated 14 September 2020 details how APHA inspected 1,597,623 farmed salmon - that's bloody good going for a day's work (and may explain why APHA didn't have time to take any photos). Even more impressive, APHA reported that every single one of the 1,597,623 fish 'inspected' at the Barcaldine facility was "compliant".
The cases 'investigated' by APHA in 2020 are not the first time welfare agencies have been accused of whitewashing cruelty and unnecessary suffering on salmon farms. The Ferret reported in September 2019:
The Ferret article by award-winning investigative journalist Rob Edwards included:
EXPOSED: The true cost of the multi-billion-pound Scottish salmon industry. New footage shows how it causes suffering to salmon. Urge the Scottish government to put a full stop on expansion plans urgently NOW. Take action at https://t.co/Fsdqgi8MeA#ScottishSalmonScandalpic.twitter.com/DnaBmBnBbp
"Welfare abuse on salmon farms is rampant across Scotland," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "It is painfully clear from shocking video footage that the RSPCA, SSPCA, APHA and the Marine Scotland are failing to stop cruelty and unnecessary suffering inside salmon cages. The Go Pro camera doesn't lie - unlike the foreign-controlled 'Scottish' salmon lobby. Consumers should take a hard look at the damning video footage gathered by investigators and watch Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' which showcases diseased Scottish salmon at a Mowi salmon farm certified by RSPCA Assured and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. The take-home message is please don't buy Scottish salmon - it's fatty, artificially coloured, cheap and nasty as well as leaving a bad taste in the mouth."
In May 2020, APHA (an executive agency of DEFRA) told Scottish Salmon Watch via Freedom of Information that they had visited 35 salmon farms between 2013 and April 2020 with only one salmon farm visited in the years 2014 and 2015.
However, APHA finally disclosed documents this week (13 April 2021) following another FOI request in March 2021 by Scottish Salmon Watch (APHA's interpretation of 'inspection' was so narrow that APHA visits to salmon farms with the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate - who also inspect salmon farms - slipped through the FOI net).
Fish Farming Expert reported (27 May 2020) that the RSPCA suspended in-person assessments of salmon farms on 23 March with contactless assessments available by mutual agreement on Monday (1 June):
An investigation has been launched into conditions at an Argyll fish farm after footage emerged of dead and dying salmon floating in cages on a freshwater loch.https://t.co/WZTX93fdnL
An unconfirmed report points to the RSPCA hiring a new eagle-eyed team charged with sniffing out welfare abuse on salmon farms (the speculation is that Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, The Scottish Salmon Company, Cooke and Grieg Seafood are supplying life-jackets with company logos and have kindly donated a rowing boat to get out to the farms).
Completely unfounded rumours are that the crack unit of inspectors are led by David Blunkett's guide dogs and include trusted lobbyist Tavish Scott, Mr Magoo, Stevie Wonder, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Medusa as back up to prevent prying eyes.
.@RSPCA_official was very lucky not to have been featured in Seaspiracy, because its collusion is even more disgraceful than the examples that were highlighted. It "accredits" the slaughter of 200 million salmon a year, without, imo, effective safeguards.
Extreme Activism #1 (in an occasional series @tavishscott): After dressing the kids, dropping Dad off at the dentist, walking the dog & washing up I clicked onto a Government website to check for infectious diseases killing Scottish salmon @marinescotlandhttps://t.co/r6jks42ZdA
World Exclusive: What does it take to be labelled an "extreme activist"? I've been called many things - 'eco-terrorist', 'salmon farming nemesis', 'fish farm bogeyman', 'prophet of doom', 'salmon's No.1 enemy' & 'c**t' (I get that a lot). Here's the scoop!https://t.co/lNyg86xk9fpic.twitter.com/pr5hcUqsIU
Fair enough, I have climbed up tankers full of diseased farmed fish exposing the shocking mortality levels of Scottish salmon (sometimes even in the rain and in the dark without even asking permission from the salmon farming company - as featured in Netflix's 'Seaspiracy'). And I have been so extremely smelly - the rotten fish guts, maggots and skin get encrusted into your trainers - that I once needed three showers to get the smell off. Now that's extremely uncomfortable - especially for RSPCA Assured salmon farming companies who have to respond to questions from journalists.
That same evening in July 2020 I had the extreme nerve to walk onto a public pier - that's right, you heard it here: a pier which is open to the public - and film diseased 'Scottish' salmon in broad daylight.
Mowi Scotland: "will be forced to take further action unless you co-operate with its requests & desist from further unauthorised access....no choice but to take steps to protect the Company’s Sites, and its rights in relation thereto, through the courts" https://t.co/TRIgbdBz1qpic.twitter.com/PNZpWmva3f
I don't even think it is "extreme" to oppose toxic and disease-ridden salmon farming but I take it as a compliment that I am prepared to stand up for what I believe in.
Most of my time is spent not fighting a religious war but sat down on a chair in front of a computer screen trawling through data on mass mortalities published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate (in fact I was so inactive during lockdown that I've put on so much weight that I am now extremely fat - hopefully a Summer of kayaking around Scotland will help shed the pounds!).
If you downloaded this data - supplied by salmon farming companies - would that make you an 'extreme activist'? Go on, I double dare you to be dangerous!
Or I spend my time (between dropping the kids off at school and picking them up - minus the time walking the dog and trying to persuade my elderly father to get out of bed and take his Alzheimer's pills) trying to decipher the sanitised mortality data published monthly by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation.
Why is Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory data on use of Azamethiphos & Deltamethrin via well boats still not published for 2019 when data on use of toxic chemicals via salmon farms is now available up to March 2020 via Scotland's Aquaculture? @ScottishEPA@marinescotlandpic.twitter.com/8wrMq7yTkR
On other occasions, "extreme activism" takes the form of extremely tedious and time-consuming research and may even involve a calculator to add up how six foreign-owned companies control 99% of 'Scottish' salmon farming (thankfully I have my Grade C Mathematics 'O' Level to help me out).
As much as 99 per cent of farmed salmon production from Scottish-branded companies is controlled outwith Scotland. Most of the industry is Norwegian, and one major parent company is registered in Jersey, an offshore tax haven.https://t.co/vxzBIgSWYy
I've also been known to use the search engine Google - sorry, I know that is very extreme and I do feel guilty afterwards - and stumble across (sometimes following tip offs) shocking stuff like the salmon farming industry is planning to use the banned neonicotinoid Imidacloprid (hidden behind the trade name BMK08/Ectosan).
However, as time has passed and my extreme activism took hold (along with the dodgy back and glaucoma making me blind in one eye) I came to the conclusion that in order to stop salmon farming there needs to be a boycott on farmed salmon.
Back in 2011 (before kids, obviously), I dressed up as Captain Condom to protest against the spread of STDs (Salmon Transferable Diseases) by salmon farms in British Columbia.
Apologies, I really don't know what came over me. But at least Cermaq's PR flunkey Grant Warkentin found the stunt extremely amusing. I've since tried to squeeze into the lycra red shorts but a decade of extreme inactivity has made it impossible (who knows, Captain Condom may resurface this Summer in Scotland wearing bigger granny pants).
My journey into "extreme activism" started in the late 90s with Friends of Earth Scotland where many of us were volunteers signing on the dole and we received £3 per day to cover lunch and transport costs. I sometimes slept on the floor in the library and washed even less than I do today - that's me with the greasy hair next to Lang Banks, now Director of WWF Scotland, and Kevin Dunion, the first Scottish Information Commissioner.
One day whilst at Friends of the Earth Scotland in Edinburgh, I was extremely surprised to receive a phone call from the BBC's John Humphyrys (long time presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4) who was conducting background research for his book 'The Great Food Gamble'. For his research he even dived under a Mowi salmon farm in Loch Sunart - talk about the extreme lengths some journalists go to in order to capture a story!
This case of welfare abuse led to Mowi being reprimanded and, perhaps more importantly from a campaigning point of view, being named and shamed in a Sunday newspaper.
Behind the news headlines it can sometimes be a hard slog to access documents via FOI with denials and refusals extremely annoying.
Norway's state broadcaster NRK labelled me an "aktivist" in 2012 (when I was clearly more active and carrying much less weight around my jowels and midriff):
The Norwegian newspaper used the term "lakseaktivist" (translated as 'salmon activist') in an article published in 2012:
Writing in The Guardian in 2017, John Vidal reported that I have "spent the past five years labelled an “eco-terrorist”, a “troublemaker”, an “exaggerator” and “a prophet of doom”:
Award-winning investigative journalist Rob Edwards knows how to cause 'trouble' too - and I think that is the essence of what the SSPO's Tavish Scott means when he labels me an "extreme activist". We've been dredging up the dirt about the toxic salmon farming industry in Scotland for a few decades via New Scientist, The Sunday Herald and The Ferret.
When I wrote "Scottish Salmon Farming 101" back in 2018 it was crammed full of extremely damaging information that the SSPO would prefer kept secret and hidden away from the public.
If you continue to ask 'difficult' questions and are extremely persistent the Salmafia will do everything in their power to intimidate, bully and harrass (even if you're on public property).
"Here comes trouble" was the headline in GEO magazine last year when they profiled my 'extreme' campaign against salmon farming.
GEO magazine caught such an "extreme activist" sitting on the sofa with my kids. Obviously we weren't watching Gogglebox but extremely dangerous Greta Thunberg and Sea Shepherd documentaries (and yes, my belly is extremely fat due to the lack of exercise as an 'extreme activist' sitting in front of a computer screen most days).
It's a fair cop though that I also like dressing up - not in women's clothes but in Hazmat suits with gas masks.
I have even been known to don a suit and tie to attend the Annual General Meetings of salmon farming companies in Norway.
I do feel sorry for our brave police guarding the Scottish Parliament who clearly think a guy in a Hazmat suit carrying waste effluent from a toxic salmon farm poses such an extreme threat.
Sometimes I persuade other people - call them "extreme activists" if you like but I think they're brave warriors willing to stand up for what they believe in - to join me in protests.
The life of an "extreme activist" is certainly not for everyone and can often involve getting up extremely early - whether it is to video tankers for toxic chemicals.
Or container after container of toxic chemicals strewn around the banks of lochs like a drunken sailor leaving his empty bottles of rum everywhere.
If you can't be bothered watching yet another video of an "extreme activist" droning on about cancer-causing chemicals, you can read a news story in The Sunday Times.
If you don't believe that lefty rag The Sunday Times - who clearly have an agenda against salmon farming and give a platform to "extreme activists" like myself - then perhaps the BBC's Countryfile can switch you on.
Read more about Scottish Salmon Watch's "extreme activism" online here
Shock horror - my protests have even featured members of my family including young children who have clearly been brainwashed into "extreme activism".
If you're the shy and retiring type don't worry - "extreme activists" like myself are always on hand to speak out.
If you're into audio books - maybe the kids are sick of Harry Potter - there's even podcasts.
And online interviews.
You certainly need a big ego to be an "extreme activist" but you also need support - whether that is financial support via donations or support from film-makers and other 'activists'. We're still hoping to make a feature length film called 'Scottish Scamon'.
And we'd love to be able to fund more fieldwork in Scotland - including undercover filming inside salmon farms and short films like "The Poisoned Loch" and "Mowi’s ‘Bay of the Dead Heads’" exposing the underbelly salmon farming.
The true cost of the Scottish salmon industry: while wild Atlantic salmon are disappearing, millions of farmed salmon are suffering in sea cages. This industry is also devastating the environment. @scotgov take action now #ScottishSalmonScandalpic.twitter.com/HKl5eJcVM3
When Charles Clover wrote in The Sunday Times (11 April 2021) that "there is sustainable seafood to be eaten, and the Marine Conservation Society’s online Good Fish Guide is a good place to start" he exposed the shocking greenwashing of fish which ironically his article had sought to tackle in the wake of Netflix's 'Seaspiracy'.
"The revulsion its production team evidently feel about practices such as salmon farming - which takes huge amounts of wild fish from the ocean, boils them down & feeds them to lice-infested, caged salmon - should make every retailer rethink" https://t.co/a84hkUUnqX@seaspiracy
If you take a look at the Marine Conservation Society's 'Good Fish Guide' it advises that farmed salmon - certified by RSPCA Assured, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Soil Association as 'organic' - is rated a good choice and deemed green with a sustainability ranking of 2 (Global Gap certified salmon farms and the Global Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices certification are given a sustainability ranking of 3 which is between green and red).
However, take a look inside a RSPCA Assured and ASC-certified salmon farm and it is clear that far from being a good choice for the environment or welfare it is an appallingly bad choice. Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' featured shocking video footage of diseased salmon at a Mowi salmon farm in Loch Linnhe - a site certified by both the ASC and RSPCA Assured.
⚠️ NEW investigation by @animal_equality reveals horrific suffering at Scottish Salmon Company slaughterhouse. The salmon are repeatedly clubbed and left to suffocate on the floor. Footage is included in blog, but note ❗️it is graphic.https://t.co/BuYuY2vcwX
Charles Clover is certainly not the only one guilty of greenwashing Scottish salmon. Chris Packham's latest book - "Back to Nature" - dishes the dirt on Scottish salmon yet fails to red flag the certification of ca. 70% of Scottish salmon farming production via RSPCA Assured.
"Grotesquely disfigured by raw lesions; you wouldn't want these poor creatures on your plate" write @ChrisGPackham & @MeganMcCubbin in 'Back to Nature' calling salmon farming "an ugly & unacceptable welfare issue". So why does @rspcaassured still certify 70% of Scottish salmon? pic.twitter.com/aUhNvagvct
Hello . Open cage salmon farming is fraught with very serious issues and clearly needs reform/regulation/cessation . I will liaise with @RSPCA_official to work urgently towards a renewed position from their POV . I’m on it !
EXPOSED: The true cost of the multi-billion-pound Scottish salmon industry. New footage shows how it causes suffering to salmon. Urge the Scottish government to put a full stop on expansion plans urgently NOW. Take action at https://t.co/Fsdqgi8MeA#ScottishSalmonScandalpic.twitter.com/DnaBmBnBbp
We've just launched our new joint salmon report with @ciwf "Underwater Cages, Parasites and Dead Fish", that explores why there must be a moratorium on Scottish salmon farming 🐟 Read it now here ➡️ https://t.co/KES17QPUYU#ScottishSalmonScandal
Don't be duped by the green claims of Scottish salmon whether it is marketed as RSPCA Assured, 'responsibly sourced', 'organic', ASC-certified or promoted as a 'sustainable' good choice by the Marine Conservation Society. Consumers are urged to avoid all Scottish salmon - and all farmed salmon for that matter - like the proverbial plague. Please take the pledge not to eat farmed salmon!
Rick Stein has been forced into telling the truth about where his smoked salmon comes from following an investigation by Trading Standards. Following a complaint by Scottish Salmon Watch, Rick Stein's online shop has deleted reference to "two of England's most celebrated salmon rivers" (the Severn & Wye where the farmed salmon imported from the Faroe Islands are smoked by Severn & Wye Smokery).
Do you have an update? Rick Stein's web-site has now changed to admit that it is not wild salmon but farmed salmon from the Faroe Islands. Was that change forced by Trading Standards or did Rick take a dose of honesty tonic? https://t.co/dG62ULpbSApic.twitter.com/SaVbmzx1xr
To reference to 'boutique' salmon farms in the Faroe Island on 9 April 2021:
Good question - I think "boutique" salmon means that Rick goes shopping for his pharmed salmon at an organic, natural & "free-range" farm in the Faroes. "The quality of these beautiful fish is close to wild salmon" https://t.co/7iASW5Iqac#Bollocks#Scampic.twitter.com/1U0Df3Tox3
Back in 1994, Rick Stein lambasted the taste of farmed salmon in an interview with Joanna Blythman published in The Independent.
Scottish Salmon Watch reported (25 March 2021) how Rick Stein's web-site promoted smoked salmon implying that it is wild salmon caught "on the edge of the royal forest of dean between two of England's most celebrated salmon rivers" (name-checking the Severn & Wye smokery).
Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to Rick Stein (25 March 2021) asking him if the salmon he sources is from disease-ridden salmon farms (in Scotland, the Faroes, Ireland, Tasmania or wherever):
Yes he is misleading almost to the point of dishonesty. Not legally fraud but a morally bankrupt act given his position in the public eye & his marketing profile of trust, provenance & quality. But if you've eaten in his restaurants you won't be surprised
Not misleading - the website is clear that it is where it is smoked, not where the fish comes from. The Scottish smoked salmon/Smoked Scottish salmon labelling is much more confusing for consumers.
The Daily Telegraph described VAR's farmed salmon from the Faroes - the fish believed to be now used by Rick Stein's online shop - as 'ethical' "wild salmon from the Faroe Islands" in a shameless feature in 2011 (it's behind a paywall).
As consumers around the globe know full well, there is a world of difference between farmed and wild salmon. Don't take my word for it - please listen to ocean advocate Katie Tunn on why you should boycott farmed salmon.
Please take the salmon pledge today! Don't be duped by "raised in the wild", "natural", "organic" or "responsibly sourced" marketing.
Surely this is yet another case of misleading marketing for Trading Standards? @cne_siarhttps://t.co/d8WSEJtPlb Claiming that Scottish Salmon is "raised responsibly" and "the finest" @harrisandlewis1 simply does not hold water. Didn't you watch Seaspiracy expose Scottish Salmon? pic.twitter.com/6Grbhmei0W
Yesterday (9 April 2021) it appeared that Rick Stein had taken action to correct the information on his web-site (presumably after contact by Trading Standards):
The reason(s) you need the information if you think that this will help us to find what you want to know
The public were being deceived and misled.
The way you would like the information supplied to you: (electronic, personal viewing, photocopies etc.)
Electronic via PDFs
Hi Don, I believe at the request of some press interest we are releasing a short statement about this. I'll link you in to the article when it's out (if you don't see it first!)
"Let's look at some of the specific claims this documentary makes," said BBC Scotland's Martin Geissler. "Don was talking there about the moment he climbs up a ladder and looks into a tank full of dead fish, it's what they call a mortality bin. It's like a skip of dead fish. It's not entirely clear in the wording of the documentary what percentage of the fish that are farmed end up in there but they're suggesting it's a lot. They say they die from lice infestatations, Chlamydia, heart disease, anaemia."
"No, it's absolutely not true," replied Tavish Scott. "It's one of the pack of lies that these extreme activists produce all the time, Martin. I am disappointed the BBC is giving it air time to this pack of lies tonight".
Best bit was @tavishscott denying that millions of his poor salmon die from lice, disease, chlamydia etc. @scotgov published figures say he’s lying. https://t.co/HjFNC2Uml8
If Tavish Scott says it’s a pack of lies that millions of salmon are dying from lice infestation, disease etc .....what on earth ARE they dying from?@tavishscott - over to you..
— Salmon Scales Of Justice LLM (@SalmonPharming) April 6, 2021
Yes - Piscichlamydia has hit salmon farming for a few decades. Just one of the many STDs (Salmon Transmissible Diseases) spread by the rampant expansion of salmon farming https://t.co/oWSKfRZmTX
Two Chlamydiales have previously been found to infect Atlantic salmon, Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis and Candidatus Clavichlamydia salmonicola. Both develop intracellularly in cyst-like inclusions in gill cells, generally referred to as epitheliocysts https://t.co/dvjfuA7JWL
The truth seems to be a foreign country when Tavish Scott is interviewed by the BBC. When grilled on BBC Countryfile in December 2020, Tavish Scott refused to acknowledge the fact (as sourced and published from Scottish Government data published in October 2020) that the mortality rate on Scottish sea cage salmon farms was 26%.
"Pathogens, parasites, and pests (PPP) are a chronic risk for the aquaculture sector, and the intensification of production and increased trade and supply chain integration since 2000 have amplified these risks," reported researchers. "Even in sectors in which major investments and progress have been made in the detection, avoidance, and treatment of PPP, new threats frequently emerge. For example, the salmon aquaculture industry has successfully controlled some diseases, such as infectious pancreatic necrosis virus and infectious salmon anaemia, but other diseases and parasites (for example, salmon rickettsial syndrome and sea lice) remain costly for many producers and damaging to wild salmon as treatment options are either unavailable or the target organism has become resistant to treatment"
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Apr 7, 2021 at 5:44 PM Subject: Tavish Scott lying on BBC Scotland To: <nine.news@bbc.co.uk> Cc: Mike Farrell - News <mike.farrell@bbc.co.uk>, <martin.geissler@bbc.co.uk>, Chris Foote <chris.foote@bbc.co.uk>
If you look at the transcript of what Tavish Scott said in yesterday's BBC Scotland 'The Nine' interview he clearly lied when he answered "No, absolutely not" in reply to Martin's question on infectious diseases:
What action can be taken against his blatant lies?
Scottish Salmon Watch would like to file a complaint and ask that Tavish's lies are corrected.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 2:04 PM Subject: Re: Tavish Scott lying on BBC Scotland To: <nine.news@bbc.co.uk> Cc: Mike Farrell - News <mike.farrell@bbc.co.uk>, <martin.geissler@bbc.co.uk>, Chris Foote <chris.foote@bbc.co.uk>
Further, to my email dated 7 April (see below) I would like to reiterate:
"What action can be taken against his blatant lies? Scottish Salmon Watch would like to file a complaint and ask that Tavish's lies are corrected".
A correction/retraction from Tavish Scott would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
From: BBC Complaints <bbc_complaints_website@contact.bbc.co.uk> Date: Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 2:09 PM Subject: BBC Complaints - Case number CAS-6694812-X3J2F1 To: Donald Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Thanks for contacting the BBC. This is to confirm we’ve received the attached complaint sent in this name. We’ve included the text of the complaint and a case reference for your records (see below).
Our normal aim is to reply at this stage within 10 working days (two weeks), but we hope you will understand that sometimes we are unable to respond by then. We will let you know beforehand if we think it may take us longer.
We’ll normally include your complaint in our overnight report to producers and management. This will circulate your and all complaints with other reaction we receive today (but with any personal details removed) so it will then be available for the right team to read tomorrow morning.
For full details of our complaints process please visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/how-we-handle-your-complaint. Please don’t reply to this email because it’s an automated acknowledgement sent from an account which can’t receive replies. If you do need to get in touch, please use our webform instead at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints, quoting your reference number.
Here are the details of your complaint:
----------
YOUR COMPLAINT:
Tavish Scott lying on BBC Scotland's 'The Nine'
How can Tavish Scott's blatant lies on BBC Scotland's 'The Nine' (6 April 2021) be permitted to stand without correction?
Yes - Piscichlamydia has hit salmon farming for a few decades. Just one of the many STDs (Salmon Transmissible Diseases) spread by the rampant expansion of salmon farming https://t.co/oWSKfRZmTX
Despite Scottish Salmon's claim of 'misinformation' it's a fact the Chlamydia has affected salmon farming globally for decades. The scientific papers are published for the whole world to read.
Another scientific paper published in 2020 reported that "The terms CGD and multifactorial gill disease are often used interchangeably and are overlapping".
"It remains to be conclusively shown whether there is an association between gill disease in the marine environment and prior experiences encountered by salmon during the freshwater phase of production. Examples of putative pathogens that are encountered in both environments are Candidatus Clavochlamydia salmonicola (Mitchell et al.2010), described in the bacterial gill disease section and salmon gill pox virus (Gjessing et al.2017), described in the viral gill disease section."
Two Chlamydiales have previously been found to infect Atlantic salmon, Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis and Candidatus Clavichlamydia salmonicola. Both develop intracellularly in cyst-like inclusions in gill cells, generally referred to as epitheliocysts https://t.co/dvjfuA7JWL
So when salmon farmers talk about 'Complex Gill Disease' or Epitheliocystis, the nasty-sounding Chlamydia could be lurking in the background even if Tavish Scott refuses to get Scottish salmon publicly tested for it and other Salmon Tranmissible Diseases (STDs).
A warning letter from the Association for the Preservation of the Eastern Shore in Nova Scotia will be delivered later today (19 November) to Loch Duart’s office in Lochmaddy. GAAIA has also written to Her Majesty the Queen (who served Loch Duart farmed salmon at her Diamond Jubilee in June) asking her to screen her farmed salmon for Chlamydia and other infectious diseases which were reported this year in Loch Duart's "sustainable" farmed salmon.
Disease data obtained from Marine Scotland via Freedom of Information in August 2012 reveals that Loch Duart’s operations in Lochmaddy were riddled with infectious diseases including Epitheliocystis (Chlamydia), Salmonid Alphavirus (Salmon Pancreas Disease Virus) and Vibrio species (Winter Ulcer) during the period April to July 2012.
“Loch Duart markets itself around the world as ‘The Sustainable Salmon Company’ but if truth be told it should re-name itself ‘The Chlamydia Company’.”
The mortality data posted in March 2021 (information up to the end of January 2021) includes millions of farmed salmon reported as dying due to diseases including Complex Gill Disease, Complex Gill Pathology, Gill Pox Virus, Amoebic Gill Disease, Proliferative Gill Disease, gill bleeding and other gill issues:
Here's video footage of Mowi's disease ridden salmon from Loch Torridon captured by Scottish Salmon Watch in September 2020 (soon after Mowi threatened legal action):
Whether Scottish salmon is infested with lice or infected with infectious diseases such as 'Complex Gill Disease' (be that Chlamydia or a host of other conditions) the take-home message to your family and friends is a simple one: boycott farmed salmon! Please take the Salmon Pledge today.
Listen to the full unedited debate between Don Staniford (Scottish Salmon Watch) and Tavish Scott (Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) - comes in two parts as the file cut off after 12 minutes:
Don Staniford @TheGAAIA, a campaigner from Scottish Salmon Watch and contributor to documentary @seaspiracy, tells #TheNine why he believes the Scottish salmon farming industry is not sustainable. pic.twitter.com/GxCMBILGfL
"We'll continue doing this for many, many years to come"@tavishscott, CEO of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, tells #TheNine he doesn't believe #Seaspiracy should have an effect on the Scottish salmon farming industry. pic.twitter.com/hvB2Z373NW
EXPOSED: The true cost of the multi-billion-pound Scottish salmon industry. New footage shows how it causes suffering to salmon. Urge the Scottish government to put a full stop on expansion plans urgently NOW. Take action at https://t.co/Fsdqgi8MeA#ScottishSalmonScandalpic.twitter.com/DnaBmBnBbp
“I am part of the #resistance movement against #extinction. The movement spans the globe. We are a force of nature. Like a #river, we well up, slip around, bore through and dive under obstacles. We don’t stop.
Read Ian Gill's review of 'Not On My Watch' in full online here
"Salmon farming, like big tobacco, like big oil, like big ag, is big business...If we get out of their way, the wild salmon will come back...The fight for wild salmon is about much more than fish. This is not the time to give up" @Gillwave@alex4salmon@TheTyee@wildfirstcanadahttps://t.co/Y5hCZy3qN8
Buy a copy of 'Not On My Watch' by Alexandra Morton online here
Alexandra Morton: "I try to be strategically nimble so that I can respond to the shape & direction of the wave. I have intentionally kept my voice free from big institutions so the opposition can’t find & cut off my supply line" https://t.co/K324ELx9pb@alex4salmon@PenguinBooks
"If all this weren’t enough to make you think again about what you’re cooking for dinner, Schwabe and Pascual discovered that industrial fish farmers use a special colour swatch called the SalmoFan to customise their product" https://t.co/pweB5f0erP@DSM@Roche@CookingSectionspic.twitter.com/OifjcRKCXv
"Anyone visiting the four museums when they reopen will notice that farmed salmon has been banished entirely from its cafes and restaurants" @Tatehttps://t.co/bVjSq41j8M@MSNBC@CookingSections Please join the global boycott against farmed salmon!
"Farmed salmon without colourants being added to its feed would be completely grey," said Corin Smith of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots. "To the extent that salmon farmers can acutally select from a colour chart - much like you get when you're painting your house - you can select the pinkness of the salmon that you're going to produce. So it wouldn't be for me to say but it does seem like people are eating grey fish which has been painted pink."
The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation - the lobby group representing salmon farms in Scotland - appears completely colour blind when it comes to advocating the use of synthetic and artificial colourings in salmon feed. Here's the SSPO's rose-tinted perspective on artificial colourings in pharmed salmon.
— Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (@SSPOsays) March 29, 2021
The use of Canthaxanthin has been controversial for decades. Back in 2001, an article headlined 'Pink Poison' published by The Daily Mail lambasted the use of artificial colourings by salmon farmers.
Various lawsuits in the United States have forced retailers to comply with labelling laws on 'color added' via Astaxanthin and Canthaxanthin artificial colourings.
Scottish Salmon Watch thinks consumers in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world - not just in the United States - should be notified whether artificial colourings have been added to farmed salmon.
Fish Farmer magazine reported in 2003 quoting Scottish Quality Salmon (since re-named the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) who said "it is no secret that astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are included in salmon feed":
EXPOSED: The true cost of the multi-billion-pound Scottish salmon industry. New footage shows how it causes suffering to salmon. Urge the Scottish government to put a full stop on expansion plans urgently NOW. Take action at https://t.co/Fsdqgi8MeA#ScottishSalmonScandalpic.twitter.com/DnaBmBnBbp
In your average mortality % do you include fallow salmon farms to boost your survival figure? Looking at the SSPO data you report 36.6% mortality at Lismore, 27.2% at Mangaster, 16% at Slocka,14.8% at Fiunary, 9.9% at Scallastle & 9% at Fishnish https://t.co/q3jC9vPnbopic.twitter.com/vmgD1mdxCY
Censored: Salmon farmers in Scotland refuse to publish numbers of deaths as disclosure is "commercially damaging" https://t.co/FiaGuR3KoG Yet Norway published 2020 data detailing 52 million deaths - why the double standard when Norway owns 80% of 'Scottish' salmon? @ScottishEPApic.twitter.com/S6d45qnsTx
Here's mortality data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation - with cumulative mortality over the full production cycle (in the sea-phase) for all salmon farms harvested out in the last year (November 2019 to October 2020):
The Harris & Lewis Smokehouse web-site claims that their disease-ridden Scottish salmon is "raised responsibly" and "the finest Scottish Salmon from The Scottish Salmon Company":
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Strondoir Bay the Lochlander salmon we videoed did not match the pretty pictures in The Scottish Salmon Company's glossy brochures.
When Corin Smith filmed inside The Scottish Salmon Company's salmon farm at Vacasay in Loch Roag in August 2018 he found gruesome welfare abuse which was featured on the BBC One Show and BBC Panorama.
And The Scottish Salmon Company's lice-infested farmed salmon can be seen streaming now on Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' - watch it if you dare online here
Surely this is yet another case of misleading marketing for Trading Standards? @cne_siarhttps://t.co/d8WSEJtPlb Claiming that Scottish Salmon is "raised responsibly" and "the finest" @harrisandlewis1 simply does not hold water. Didn't you watch Seaspiracy expose Scottish Salmon? pic.twitter.com/6Grbhmei0W
If the RSPCA was being paid by seals surely you would protect them? The fact is that salmon farmers pay the RSPCA almost £1 million for certification https://t.co/NUMZFaPYed Shame on the RSPCA - rest assured that buying RSPCA Assured salmon means putting seals in the firing line pic.twitter.com/XMHH77wHpR
Fair to say RSPCA tried to more tightly regulate animal welfare standards in salmon farming through its RSPCA Assured programme & this significantly reduced seal shooting but I agree it should have opposed all killing from start. We now hope to see end of seal shooting for good
If the RSPCA failed then why are they still coining in over £500K per year from certifying Scottish farmed salmon? Surely the RSPCA should ditch the welfare nightmare of salmon farming accredition whilst they still have some kind of reputation left? https://t.co/43qBXvAjZC
