Press Release: "Scottish Salmon Overdoses on Toxic Chemical"

Emamectin contamination at the Scottish Salmon Company in Loch Roag

Download press release and media backgrounder as a PDF online here

Documents obtained from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) via Freedom of Information (FOI) reveal that the Scottish Salmon Company breached safety levels for Emamectin in the flesh of Scottish salmon three times in 2016 at two salmon farms in Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis (Vacasay and Taranaish). "Cause of residue was overdose" reads one of the documents [1].

Emamectin contamination of Scottish farmed salmon has now occurred at least eight times with other cases reported by the VMD in 2012 (Scottish Salmon Company), 2010 (Lakeland Marine), 2009 (Skelda Salmon), 2006 (Scottish Sea Farms) and 2005 (Marine Harvest) [2].

The use of Emamectin - a toxic chemical used on salmon farms to kill sea lice (and which also kills lobsters) - increased six-fold since 2005 and has contaminated lochs around Scotland.

The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) has now written to the Scottish Salmon Company (a member of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation) asking how much contaminated salmon made it to market, which supermarkets sold the salmon and how much was sold via Label Rouge, the French Government’s top quality award.

The naming of the Scottish Salmon Company - accredited via the Label Rouge food quality mark - came following an appeal by the Global Alliance Against Industrial Alliance (GAAIA). The UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) initially refused disclosure citing company confidentiality. "Section 30 of the FOIA should not be used as a cloak of confidentiality for all commercially sensitive issues," argued GAAIA. "It is obvious that the company involved in this case does not want any publicity and that disclosure would damage its reputation" [3].

"Scottish salmon is farmed and dangerous," said Don Staniford of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture. "The alarming rise in Emamectin benzoate use is now becoming a public health issue with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate reporting at least eight cases of Emamectin contamination of farmed salmon since 2005. The safest way to avoid chemical contamination is to boycott farmed salmon. The message to the Master Chefs of France and the rest of the world is simple: Just say no to drugs, say no to Scottish salmon".

Watch video message from Don Staniford speaking outside the Scottish Salmon Company's Label Rouge salmon farm in Loch Fyne via Video: "Red Alert: Scottish Salmon's Lousy Label Goes Rogue"

The news comes as the Scottish salmon farming industry are promoting their "high quality, sustainable salmon" at a conference on 16 March in Edinburgh and evening reception at Edinburgh Castle (the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, was invited as guest of honour but declined). The SSPO's Chief Executive, Scott Landsburgh, said in a video statement "Why Scottish salmon is worthy of support" (10 March 2017):

"Salmon is Scotland’s number one food export and the most popular fish in UK consumers’ shopping basket. We are celebrating 25 years of the prestigious French Label Rouge award and have twice been voted 'best salmon in the world' by a panel of international retailers".

In October 2016, The Master Chefs of France visited the Scottish Salmon Company's operations in Loch Fyne "where some of our finest Label Rouge salmon begins its journey to the best restaurants in the world".

Photo: Master Chefs of France visit The Scottish Salmon Company in October 2016

Craig Anderson, Managing Director at The Scottish Salmon Company gushed in a press release: “Scottish salmon is globally renowned as the finest quality. We were delighted to welcome the Master Chefs of France to show them the dedication that goes into the healthy growth of our Label Rouge Scottish salmon.”

Earlier this month (3 March 2017), a Parliamentary Motion - "Concerns Over Label Rouge Salmon Certification" - was filed in the Scottish Parliament:

In January 2017, the Scottish Government and European Union announced nearly £40,000 in public funding for the Label Rouge marketing campaign.

Testing by the VMD published in December 2016 revealed three breaches of the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for Emamectin in farmed salmon.

The VMD reported that "The investigation established that there was an error in the biomass

calculation which led to an incorrect split of the medicated feed between the cages being created and resulted in an overdose. The farm has implemented additional control check points with regard to biomass calculations to prevent this type of error re-occurring in future. The farmer has been given written advice on the requirements for responsible use of veterinary medicines".

For more details read online here and see Note [1].

In February 2017, The Sunday Herald revealed toxic chemical pollution of 45 lochs around Scotland - including over 100 cases of Emamectin contamination [4] - was "a risk to human health".