ASC cancel Mowi certifications due to exceedances of antibiotics use, escape & "administrative reasons"!

Certification of @MowiScotlandLtd salmon farms has been cancelled @ASC_aqua "Carradale was cancelled due to an escape event; Cairidh due to administrative reasons; Maol Ban & Sconser Quarry because they were projected to exceed the permitted antibiotic treatments number" pic.twitter.com/byKk6EYukC
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) January 6, 2022

Certification of four Mowi salmon farms via the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has been cancelled. "Carradale was cancelled due to an escape event; Cairidh due to administrative reasons; Maol Ban and Sconser Quarry because they were projected to exceed the permitted antibiotic treatments number of the Salmon Standard," explained the ASC's Jack Cutforth in an email dated 17 December 2021.

ASC certification of Mowi's Carradale salmon farm was cancelled following the mass escape of 49,000 farmed salmon in August 2020:

The ASC cancellation notice reads:

REVEALED: Mowi recaptures less than 1% of escapees - 3,061 recovered out of 344,778 (only 4 out of 51 escape incidents led to any fish recaptured)! @MowiScotlandLtd https://t.co/TTKj4q2dgM How many of the 48,834 escapees at Carradale have been recaptured? @marinescotland #Mowi pic.twitter.com/pW8KG1eVh8
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) August 28, 2020

Mowi's Sconser Quarry and Maol Ban salmon farms were cancelled in November 2020 due to excessive use of antibiotics.

Here's the ASC's cancellation notice:

Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye was cancelled due to administrative reasons:

Here's the ASC cancellation notice:

In January 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that Mowi's Cairidh salmon farm in Loch Ainort was the source of roadspill onto the A86 in September 2019:

The farmed salmon were moved in late August 2019 from a disease-ridden salmon operated by Mowi on the Isle of Rum where a Risk Assessment (RA) had confirmed the presence of Piscine Reovirus (PRV) - the causative agent of Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI), Piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV) - the causative agent of Cardiomyopathy Syndrome (CMS), Paranucelospora - a primary agent in Proliferative Gill Disease - and Yersinia - the etiological agent of enteric redmouth (ERM) disease.

According to a Fish Health Inspectorate report published by the Scottish Government dated 24 September 2019, Mowi's move of 206,000 salmon from the Isle of Rum to Loch Ainort breached biosecurity procedures and the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation's 'Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture'.

Over 11,000 mortalities were reported in September 2019 with over 7,000 attributed to Anaemia. The FHI report dated 24 September 2019 also detailed the use of the toxic chemical Salmosan (Azamethiphos) and Tricaine methanesulphonate (T.M.S.) but shockingly "no samples were taken for disease analysis". Here's the FHI 'Case Information' published on 19 December 2019 (pages 103 to 116):

Here's correspondence with the ASC:

From: Jack Cutforth <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Dec 17, 2021 at 4:23 PM
Subject: Re: ASC support for 20%+ mortality?
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>

Hi Don, if you go to Find a Farm and click on the farm in question, scroll down to the ‘Associated Document(s)’ section. Here, if the certification has been cancelled there will be a Cancellation/Suspension/Withdrawn notice. To view it you need to click on the ‘Available in English’ link on the right - see the screenshot below.

Let me know if that’s still not working.

Thanks,

Jack

From: Jack Cutforth <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Dec 17, 2021 at 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: ASC support for 20%+ mortality?
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>
Cc: Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>

Hi Don,

I’m afraid it is not correct to describe what Chris said as being a ‘policy pledge’ that ASC certification would be ‘ruled out’ with more than 10% mortality. The ASC Salmon Standard does require mortality from viral disease to be 10% or below, but non disease-related conditions such as natural algal blooms may also lead to mortalities. The overarching principle set out in criterion 5.1 of the standard is that mortalities of all types must be minimised and indicator 5.1.7 of the standard requires a farm specific mortality reduction program. If there is any doubt over ASC’s policy on mortalities or any other aspect of our standards, they have always been available to view in full online and we are always happy to clarify any questions.

Likewise, our commitment to transparency means you can find out the reason for any cancelled certification by using the Find a Farm feature on the ASC website – they are listed in a cancellation/suspension/withdrawn notice document. Those forms show that Carradale was cancelled due to an escape event; Cairidh due to administrative reasons; Maol Ban and Sconser Quarry because they were projected to exceed the permitted antibiotic treatments number of the Salmon Standard. Let me know if you need help finding these forms.

ASC’s requirements on antibiotics can be found in criterion 5.2 of the Salmon Standard. In addition to the limit of three antibiotic treatments per production cycle (with each treatment being a reduced antibiotic load to the one before), all therapeutic treatments (including antibiotics) must be licensed and prescribed by a vet who will also set the required withdrawal period for residues to clear before harvesting is permitted; antibiotics cannot be used preventatively; and antibiotics listed by the World Health Organisation as critically important for human medicine cannot be used at all. That is not an exhaustive list of the requirements, all of which can be found in criterion 5.2.

I don’t have all the details but it looks like the antibiotics you’ve mentioned there are not banned or listed as critically important by the WHO. There is a contractual clause in the Certification and Accreditation Requirements (CAR) that a farm must inform their auditing body (Conformity Assessment Body or CAB) of any medicines administered at a certified site (this is 4.9.4.12 in the CAR). This means that if medicinal treatments do contravene any of ASC requirements the CAB will investigate and decide what further action is required. As the standard setter, the ASC does not determine if any site does or does not meet the standard, this is entirely the responsibility of the accredited CAB.

Thanks,

Jack

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Dec 13, 2021 at 12:51 PM
Subject: ASC support for 20%+ mortality?
To: Jack Cutforth <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>
Cc: Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>

In December 2020, the CEO of the ASC (Chris Ninnes - copied in here) ruled out ASC-certification on salmon farms with more than 10% mortality. Chris's policy pledge on BBC Countryfile is online via https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1336243637500469249 and a blog is online via https://donstaniford.typepad.com/my-blog/2020/12/asc-certified-scottish-salmon-dead-in-the-water-.html

If the ASC is maintaining a policy of not certifying salmon farms with a mortality rate of over 10% then surely it would rule out Mowi's ASC-certified sites at Harport, Rum, Marulaig Bay and Stulaigh as well as Mowi's salmon farms currently under 'initial audit' at Camas Glas, Loch Alsh, Groatay and Ardintoul (details via https://www.asc-aqua.org/find-a-farm/)?

Here's mortality data published by Salmon Scotland (download via https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/reports) which blows out the water ASC certification for a raft of Mowi salmon farms due to mortality rates well above 10%:

Moreover, the recent mortality rate in October 2021 at Caolas a Deas West, Caolas a Deas East, Greanem and Grey Horse Channel raise red flags (cummulative mortality data will not be available until harvest but the data suggests a mortality rate well above the ASC's 10% threshold):

Secondly, can you please provide details on why Mowi's certification of salmon farms at Carradale North, Cairidh, Maol Ban and Sconser Quarry (detailed via https://www.asc-aqua.org/find-a-farm/) was cancelled?

Was this due to unacceptably high mortalities?

Finally, what's the ASC's policy on antibiotics?

Data disclosed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reveals huge doses of Florfenicol by Mowi at Loch Duich (another site under 'initial audit' by the ASC) and at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe (a site already certified by the ASC); and the use of Oxytetracycline by Mowi's salmon farms at Ardgour in Loch Linnhe, Camus Glas, Invasion Bay and MacLeans Nose (Mowi sites under 'initial audit') and Mowi's Gorsten salmon farm (already ASC-certified): Named & Shamed: Increasing Antibiotic Use by Salmon Pharms in Scotland - just say no to drugs, say no to Scottish salmon!

A swift reply would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Don Staniford

Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

Exposed: Certification of 'responsibly' farmed @MowiScotlandLtd via the Aquaculture Stewardship Council @ASC_aqua permits mortality rates at salmon farms in excess of 36% (not to mention the use of cancer-causing chemicals & antibiotics)! https://t.co/HsXs18bIo6 @rspcaassured pic.twitter.com/XR0vxDDfrQ
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 13, 2021

Despite the cancellations, Mowi is gearing up for ASC expansion with the aim of 27 sites certified by the end of 2022. Fish Farming Expert reported (17 December 2021):

Mowi has moved the goalposts on ASC certification and previously claimed that all salmon farms would be certified via the ASC by 2020. In 2013, Marine Harvest (re-named Mowi in 2019 due to what their CEO descibed as "negative consumer concerns") committed to 100% ASC certification by 2020.

The Guardian reported in May 2013:

Mowi announced in a press release in May 2020 that 2020 had been changed to 2025:

Hidden away at the bottom of page 10 of Mowi's 'Integrated Annual Report 2020' published in March 2021 - marked with an asterix and difficult to spot - is a significant shift away from previous commitments made towards 100% certification by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Mowi move goalposts on @ASC_aqua certification - first they pledged 100% ASC certification by 2020, then moved it to 2025 & now they expand to @ourGSSI recognised standards including @BAP_Aquaculture @GLOBALGAP & @BordIascMhara https://t.co/sGg4fT1MIR @MowiScotlandLtd #Greenwash pic.twitter.com/t0WEhnHPdO
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 26, 2021

Former Mowi (Marine Harvest) employee Ally Dingwall recently left Sainsbury's to join the ASC.

Seafood Source reported in November 2021:

Mowi's ASC-certified salmon farm at Gorsten in Loch Linnhe is exposed as a disease-ridden welfare nightmare in Netflix's 'Seaspiracy':

Norwegian salmon giant Mowi has reacted to Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' by publishing videos claiming to show healthy farmed salmon at their @rspcaassured @ASC_aqua salmon farm in Loch Linnhe which featured in @seaspiracy @ScotlandMowi @SSPOsays @iamalitabrizi https://t.co/DXJ6gnAUgl pic.twitter.com/Xf0W4GGlQg
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 16, 2021

We believe the ASC is a shameless greenwashing scheme set up, funded and governed by the salmon farming lobby intent on misleading consumers. Just take a look at the ASC-certified salmon farm @ScotlandMowi shown in @seaspiracy - does this look responsible? https://t.co/ExQbWTnU5p https://t.co/V69kyBTshG pic.twitter.com/SfBWDBxIS4
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 30, 2021

Green Around the Gills

Disease-ridden salmon farming is a sickness spreading all over the globe!

01/06/2022

ASC cancel Mowi certifications due to exceedances of antibiotics use, escape & "administrative reasons"!

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