Toxic Salmon Corrodes Soil Association's 'Organic' Principles - will anyone stand up against the use of the toxic chemical Deltamethrin? @SoilAssociation @ClarenceHouse @dimbleby_jd @Charlotcostume @SoilAssocScot @HelenBOrganic @JoannaBlythman @peterk69 https://t.co/jHzIfvAo6t pic.twitter.com/tyEhGRWtuk
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 20, 2021
Think 'organic' salmon = zero toxic pesticides? Nope. "Parasite treatments, including Deltamethrin, are permitted in the organic standards" admit @SoilAssocScot @SoilAssociation
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 30, 2021
Please boycott 'organically' farmed #Scottish #Salmon as well as @rspcaassured @ASC_aqua @SaumonLabel pic.twitter.com/oAcSVpNM4V
The latest version of the Soil Association's 'organic' salmon standards (published in February 2021) shamefully permits the use of the lobster-killing chemical Deltamethrin:
Toxic 'Organic' Scamon - Why does @SoilAssociation allow 'organic' salmon farmers to use the toxic chemical Deltamethrin (shown by peer-reviewed science published in 2020 to be lethal to lobsters)? @SoilAssocScot @HelenBOrganic @jamescashmore @JoLewisSA https://t.co/2yerGjeTEi pic.twitter.com/sDGTilOWfN
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 20, 2021
Fish Farmer reported in January 2021:
'Organic' Sea Harvest reported in January 2021:
Yet whilst the Soil Association's aquaculture standards ban the use of toxic organophosphates such as Azamethiphos and toxic avermectins such as Emamectin benzoate it authorises the use of hazardous permethrins such as Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin. Here's 'Case Information' published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate relating to an inspection of 'Organic' Sea Harvest's Invertote salmon farm in November 2020:
Exposed: Mass mortalities, lice infestation, skin infections, "opportunistic bacteria" & use of lobster-killing chemical Deltamethrin at 'Organic' Sea Harvest https://t.co/ZmOjQ0nHKY @SoilAssocScot @iasgairmuir @HighlandCouncil @marinescotland @KateForbesMSP @WHFP1 pic.twitter.com/1OX2W6y47a
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 3, 2020
And here's another inspection by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in August 2020 which reports the use of "AMX [Alphamax] tarpaulins treatments carried out on all cages" in July 2020 with the statement that "the site only intends to treat with Alphamax" even though 'Organic' Sea Harvest has discharge consents to use Excis (Cypermethrin), Slice (Emamectin benzoate) and Salmosan (Azamethiphos) in addition to Alphamax (Deltamethrin):
Hidden away in Scotland's Aquaculture database (it does not come up in a search for 'Invertote' or 'Organic Sea Harvest' but appears in CSV Export data) is reported use of 30 grams of Deltamethrin by 'Organic' Sea Harvest at Invertote salmon farm in August 2020:
In 'Organic' Sea Harvest's Environmental Statement dated November 2017 reference was made to the use of chemicals being permitted by the Soil Association but it did not specifiy the use of Deltamethrin (Alphamax).
Alphamax is the trade name for the toxic chemical Deltamethrin - shown by peer-reviewed science to be lethal to shellfish and labelled by the chemical manufacturer as a 'Marine Pollutant'. An article - "The impact of anti-sea lice pesticides, azamethiphos and deltamethrin, on European lobster (Homarus gammarus) larvae in the Norwegian marine environment" - published in scientific journal Environmental Pollution in September 2020 reported:
The Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, reported in September 2020:
"Dangerous doses of Deltamethrin typically drifted between 5 & 15 km. In rare cases, the anti-sea lice agent could travel 20-30 kilometres before it was sufficiently diluted to pose no risk to lobster larvae" https://t.co/oqcZ7yEH0f @Havforskningen @SoilAssocScot @SoilAssociation pic.twitter.com/Qif2FaZneo
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 21, 2021
Intrafish reported in October 2020:
Another scientific paper - "Environmental Risks of Synthetic Pyrethroids Used by the Salmon Industry in Chile" - published in January 2020 in Pyrethroid Insecticides concluded that "the application of pyrethroids [Deltamethrin & Cypermethrin] may trigger some unintended risks to nontarget organisms, particularly copepods".
Another scientific paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science in January 2021 concluded that "pesticides in marine waters have the potential for altering local primary production fluxes and therefore can impact biological ecosystem productivity".
A scientific paper published in 2014 reported on the toxicity of Deltamethrin to non-target crustaceans:
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported in 2008:
The award-winning journalist Rob Edwards reported in 2009:
A scientific paper published in Nature in 2018 reported lice resistance to Deltamethrin (i.e. the drugs don't work any more):
For a review of the toxic chemicals used on salmon farms - including Deltamethrin, Cypermethrin, Azamethiphos and Emamectin benzoate - read 'Silent Spring of the Sea' and Media Backgrounder: Chemically Embalmed Scottish Salmon.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (Royal Patron of the Soil Association) knows all too well the environmental impacts of toxic chemicals and has campaigned tirelessly for decades against their use in agriculture on land. Why His Royal Highness would endorse the use of the toxic chemical Deltamethrin in the sea on 'organic' salmon farms - remember that Deltamethrin is labelled by the chemical manufactuers as a 'marine pollutant' and "very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects" - is a case study in how the Soil Association's principles have been corroded by corporate interests.
As Royal Patron of @SoilAssociation why is the use of the toxic chemical Deltamethrin - show by recent science to be lethal to lobsters - allowed for use on 'organic' salmon farms? @ClarenceHouse @dimbleby_jd @Charlotcostume @SoilAssocScot @HelenBOrganic @JoannaBlythman @peterk69 https://t.co/9mKOkQZA2u
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 20, 2021
'Organic' Sea Harvest caught using lobster-killing Deltamethrin (Alphamax) https://t.co/MMIY8aUAEj @marinescotland "Deltamethrin is highly toxic to lobster larvae" https://t.co/FebQVQadbe @alexmacinnessnp @SoilAssocScot @Jonnynogaps @IanDobb pic.twitter.com/Io7556yMqf
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) October 22, 2020
Back in 2006, BBC Newsnight exposed the toxic politics of the Soil Association's certification of farmed salmon as 'organic'.
"Salmon farming in cages has nothing at all to do with organic principles," said Lawrence Woodward, former chairman of the Soil Association's standards committee. "It is very regrettable that the Soil Association has gone down this line of trying to certify something that is so distant from the principles."
Writing in The Observer in 2006, award-winning food writer Joanna Blythman lambasted 'organic' salmon.
In 2018, Salmon & Trout Conservation weighed in against 'organic' salmon.
The Scottish Salmon Think Tank reported in 2017:
And here's a blast from the past - an article published in 2001 in The Organic Standard - which is just as relevant in 2020 as it was 20 years ago:
Download as a PDF online here
How can you seriously promote 'organic' salmon as "healthy" when it is 19% fat? That's fattier than pizza! https://t.co/s7itnIaTTL@sainsburys @SainsburysNews @SoilAssocScot @SoilAssociation @rspcaassured @ScotlandMowi @MowiScotlandLtd @SSPOsays @FSScot @JulieHL @tavishscott pic.twitter.com/i94h1kvCMw
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 3, 2021
After writing this blog I have been bombarded with ads on Facebook asking me to join the Soil Association:
Scottish Salmon Watch feel that it is deceptive advertising and misleading marketing to ask people to join the Soil Association with an advert featuring a sign with the words "No Pesticides Here" when Soil Association-certified salmon farms are permitted to use the hazardous pesticides Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin. Hence we filed a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (21 March 2021):
Here's the ASA's receipt for Scottish Salmon Watch's complaint against the Soil Association:
"No Pesticides Here" claim @SoilAssociation in membership ad on @Facebook - yet @SoilAssocScot permits the use of toxic pesticides such as Deltamethrin on 'organic' salmon farms. Hence we filed a complaint @ASA_UK https://t.co/jHzIfvAo6t @ClarenceHouse @LawWoodward @PeterMelchett pic.twitter.com/BXdw2XzyvY
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 21, 2021
Revealed: Here's the hatchery sourcing 'Organic' Sea Harvest with @SoilAssociation certified "organic" salmon - doused with carcinogenic chemical Formalin & suffering from shocking welfare abuse, fungus, lesions, deformities & mortalities @BetterBreeding https://t.co/QZmD3ykx4b pic.twitter.com/vuuXZFudju
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 22, 2021
Fish Farming Expert reported (25 March 2021):
Read more via:
- Scottish salmon is so not organic!
- Organic Salmon Belongs in the Bin Not Your Shopping Basket!
- Champagne Moment: 'Organic' Salmon Farm Refused Planning Permission on Skye!
- Scottish Scamon: 'Organic' Sea Harvest Goes Dutch, Norwegian & Canadian!
- Mowi's Legal Threat Over Filming
- Dutch TV slams "organic" salmon
- 'Organic' Sea Harvest Challenged by Advertising Standards Authority
- Organic farm plan defeated by Skye locals
- EXPOSED: Scottish 'Organic' Scamon
- Organic Scamon Alert on Skye: Self-Classification "Used to Dumb Down Public Dissent" Claims Resident
- Skye High Opposition to 'Organic' Sea Harvest
- Video Report from Skye: Please Stop 'Organic' Sea Harvest!
- Organic” farmed salmon – let’s get real
- Organic Scamon - The Greenwashing of Toxic Farmed Salmon
- Why organic salmon is causing a nasty smell
- Concern over organic salmon farms
- "Organically Farmed Salmon Is An Oxymoron" (The Organic Standard, 2001)
As owner of 'Organic' Sea Harvest in #Scotland how can Visscher Seafood market #Scottish salmon as "all natural" when it was farmed with the toxic chemical Deltamethrin (shown by science to kill lobsters)? @timbrouwer89 #VisscherSeafood https://t.co/OzeqlPrFJr#Organic #Scamon pic.twitter.com/GVAAH1a42d
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 27, 2020
Scottish Scamon: How can Cooke truly claim that "all our sites are accredited by the Soil Association" when there's only 4 'organic' salmon farms in the whole of Scotland according to @marinescotland & @CookeScotland has 36 salmon farms?!! @SoilAssocScot https://t.co/4jvVMAD43i pic.twitter.com/pGcsAw2rey
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 30, 2021
Cooke change their 'organic' web-page from "all our sites are accredited by the Soil Association" to "all our organic sites are accredited by the Soil Association" (at 7 farms in Orkney) @SoilAssocScot @SoilAssociation https://t.co/4jvVMAD43i @cookeseafood @CookeScotland #Crook https://t.co/sxlrP9bn5Y pic.twitter.com/lokyLnFhBB
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 2, 2021
Addendum:
Date: Mon, Mar 22, 2021 at 7:49 AM
Subject: Addendum: Is the carcinogenic chemical Formalin & toxic Hydrogen peroxide permitted by the Soil Association?
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Helen Browning <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
The Fish Health Inspectorate reported in January 2020 that the Landcatch Ormsary Hatchery uses the carcinogenic chemical Formalin "twice a week" as well as using the antibiotic Florocol and Cress (Bronopol).
Date: Sun, Mar 21, 2021 at 8:36 PM
Subject: Question: Why is Deltamethrin approved for use via the Soil Association's aquaculture standards?
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Helen Browning <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, Mar 21, 2021 at 4:55 PM
Subject: Query re. Deltamethrin use by Organic Sea Harvest at Invertote
To: Media <[email protected]>
Cc: Pollard, Peter <[email protected]>, Ahearn, Terry <[email protected]>, Sinclair, Douglas <[email protected]>
From: Ian Ayling <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2021 at 9:05 AM
Subject: Your enquiry
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Hello
You raised a question recently about the use of Deltamethrin in salmon farms certified by the Soil Association
We have explored this to give you a full answer
The Soil Association is committed to securing a world with good health, in balance with nature and a safe climate restored for all
We recognise the concerns of some to the practice of faming salmon but believe it is better to make things as right as possible where these practices exist
Parasite treatments, including deltamethrin, are permitted in the organic standards under exceptional circumstances when other preventative actions have failed and there are no other treatment options. They are not to be used on a consistent basis and we set limits on usage. Sites are required to update their management plans to demonstrate how they will rely on preventative measure of disease control.
We have reviewed the usage of Deltamethrin in the last year and it was used on 2 occasions across the sites we certify. The vast majority of the farms we licence did not use Deltamethrin.
We recognise the potential harm from the usage of any medicines - this is not unique to aquaculture. We are aware and equally concerned about the potential impact on lobsters and other crustaceans
We will continue to drive for improving our certification standards and the equivalent standards of our European colleagues.
Thank you for reaching out to us with your question
Soil Association team
Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2021 at 9:58 AM
Subject: Re: Your enquiry
To: Ian Ayling <[email protected]>
Cc: Helen Browning <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Get that crap out of your kitchen! Please take the pledge to boycott farmed salmon - even so-called 'organic' @GordonRamsay @SoilAssocScot @SoilAssociation @glenarmsalmon @Naturland_eV @JoannaBlythman @peterk69 @HelenBOrganic @LawWoodward https://t.co/FpKosacuJq #SalmonPledge pic.twitter.com/Y4jF2KPnVZ
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 6, 2021