Norwegian giant Mowi - who currently has 148 salmon farms certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council as 'responsible' (85 in Norway, 39 in Scotland, 16 in Chile, 4 in Canada, 3 in Ireland and 1 in the Faroes) - faces increasing scrutiny over the certification of sites in Scotland.
LRQA - a 'leading global assurance provider' who helps deliver ASC certification - wrote to $camon $cotland on Friday (5 May 2023):
From: Dignan, Sam <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, May 5, 2023 at 6:23 PM
Subject: RE: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Cc: LRQA ASC <[email protected]>, Complaints <[email protected]>
Hi Don,
Please see attached our response to your complaint of Monday 10 April 2023.
If you dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you may choose to 1) escalate your complaint within LRQA, 2) submit your complaint directly to the ASC and/or 3) raise it with the ASC’s appointed accreditation body (ASI).
Kind regards,
Sam
Sam Dignan
Aquaculture & Fisheries Manager
[email protected]
Download letter as a PDF online here
$camon $cotland wrote to the ASC on 10 April 2023:
From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2023 9:10 PM
To: Certification <[email protected]>; LRQA ASC <[email protected]>; Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>; Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>; Info <[email protected]>; Dignan, Sam <[email protected]>; [email protected]; Alastair Dingwall <[email protected]>; Complaints <[email protected]>
Subject: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
Please consider this a formal complaint re. ASC certification of Mowi’s Colonsay salmon farm in Scotland as well as Mowi’s salmon farms at Carradale and Greanem/Grey Horse Channel Outer.
Please pass this complaint onto the relevant department (ASI and LRQA are both copied into this complaint and it has been emailed also to: [email protected]).
$camon Scotland’s complaint is a very simple one and is evidenced via the juxtaposition of the ASC’s ‘Salmon Standard’ vs data published by Marine Scotland via Scotland’s Aquaculture in relation to mass escapes and a recent Freedom of Information disclosure by the Scottish Government.
The letter of complaint - including documented evidence - is attached here and is available online here (the letter also includes a letter to Scottish Ministers).
Thanks,
Don Staniford
Director, $camon $cotland
LRQA replied on 11 April 2023:
From: Dignan, Sam <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Apr 11, 2023 at 9:56 AM
Subject: RE: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>, Certification <[email protected]>, LRQA ASC <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>, Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>, Info <[email protected]>, Warren, Lewis <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>
Hi Don,
We acknowledge receipt of your complaint and have formally raise it as such on our system so you should get an acknowledgement from there as well.
We commit to resolving your complaint as quickly as possible and, if your complaint is more complex, we will keep you informed whilst we investigate the matter.
Should you need it in the meantime, your reference number is: FHS-00057056
Kind regards,
Sam
Sam Dignan
Aquaculture & Fisheries Manager
[email protected]
The ASC replied on 12 April 2023:
From: Efrain Calderon <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Apr 12, 2023 at 6:48 AM
Subject: Re: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: Certification <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>
Dear Don
Information received; we will review it. As you also contacted the CAB it should be considered stakeholder input and addressed, the CAB should reply how the issues shared will be followed up.
We are following up with LR to confirm reception.
Efrain
From: Complaints <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Apr 12, 2023 at 9:27 AM
Subject: RE: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
To: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Cc: Certification <[email protected]>, LRQA ASC <[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>, Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>, Info <[email protected]>, Dignan, Sam <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>, Alastair Dingwall <[email protected]>
Good morning Don,
Please consider this acknowledgment of receipt of your email dated 11/04/2023 entitled ‘Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms’.
As this particular complaint relates to ASC certificate holders’ standard compliance, in line with the ASC Complaints Procedure this should be progressed by the relevant Conformity Assessment Body in the first instance. We have been copied in to LRQA’s response to you and have logged this internally at ASC for reference.
Kind regards,
Laura
$camon $cotland wrote to the ASC on 12 April 2023:
From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 10:02 AM
To: Complaints <[email protected]>
Cc: Certification <[email protected]>; LRQA ASC <[email protected]>; Bertrand Charron <[email protected]>; Chris Ninnes <[email protected]>; Info <[email protected]>; Dignan, Sam <[email protected]>; Warren, Lewis <[email protected]>; Alastair Dingwall <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
I am not familiar with the compliance or audit process. But suffice to say that any forensic examination of ASC-certified salmon farms in Scotland - and those currently being audited - is likely to uncover other non-compliances.
If the ASC - and the certification and compliance bodies - wish to conduct due diligence of salmon farms in Scotland the Scottish Government publishes mortality, disease, lice and other case information via: https://www.gov.scot/collections/publication-of-fish-health-inspectorate-information/
Other data on escapes, biomass breaches, toxic chemical use, benthic pollution etc is published via Scotland's Aquaculture: http://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/data/data.aspx
Salmon Scotland also publishes mortality data via: https://www.salmonscotland.co.uk/reports
Freedom of Information - as used by $camon $cotland - is also powerful tool to extract information from Marine Scotland, SEPA, Nature Scotland, APHA and other agencies which salmon farming companies such as Mowi, Bakkafrost and Scottish Sea Farms may be reluctant to disclose and share with the ASC via the audit process.
It seems patently clear that the ASC is not following due diligence - and is being far from responsible - when it comes to auditing and monitoring compliance by salmon farms in Scotland.
You only have to take a quick glance at mortality rates on salmon farms across Scotland (online here) and cross-reference to see which salmon farms are already certified by the ASC (online here) to see how irresponsible the ASC certification process really is.
Best fishes,
Don
$camon $cotland wrote earlier today (8 May 2023) to the LRQA:
From:
Don Staniford <[email protected]>Date: Mon, May 8, 2023 at 7:35 AM
Subject: Re: Complaint vs Mowi's Colonsay, Carradale & Greanem salmon farms
To: Dignan, Sam <
[email protected]>
Cc: LRQA ASC <
[email protected]>, Complaints <
[email protected]>, Bertrand Charron <
[email protected]>, <
[email protected]>, Certification <
[email protected]>, Chris Ninnes <
[email protected]>, <
[email protected]>, Info <
[email protected]>
Sam,
Thanks for your letter dated 5 May 2023.
If Mowi escapes sanction and suspension for their blatant non-conformities, it will make even more of a mockery of the ASC's greenwashing of toxic, disease-ridden, mortality-laden and leaky Scottish salmon farming.
Please keep me posted on the outcome of the review process.
Best fishes,
Don
Read more via:
The $almafia's Laundromat: How the ASC & Soil Association Greenwash Disease-Ridden Scottish Salmon in Return for Loads of $almoney!
EXPOSED: “Disappointing” Breaches of Biosecurity at ASC-Certified Mowi - Call to Close Down Farms!
Leaked Videos Expose Welfare Abuse at RSPCA Assured Bakkafrost in Loch Fyne - soon to be ASC-certified as 'responsible'?!
Certifiable: The ASC Greenwashes Deadly Nevis Salmon Farms as 'Responsible' (despite 200,000 morts, lice infestation & infectious diseases)!
Greenwash Alert: The ASC's New 'Salmon Standard' (Version 1.4) Rolls Out on 1st February!
The ASC Runs Out of Greenwash: "Certification Not Awarded" at five salmon farms operated by Mowi & Scottish Sea Farms
Greenwashing by the Deadly ASC (Abominable Salmon Council) Leaps to Over 30 Fish Farms - with another 17 waiting to be rubber-stamped!
Named & Shamed: Scotland's Most Deadly Salmon Farms in 2022 (as sponsored by RSPCA Assured & the ASC)!
64% Mortality at RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Nevis - as sold by M&S as "responsibly sourced"?! (& ASC-certified as 'responsible')
74% Mortality Reported by RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms (Supplier to M&S) in Loch Nevis - soon to be ASC-certified as 'responsible'!
Abominable Salmon Certification - the Aquaculture Stewardship Council is Sponsoring Serial Killing in Scotland!
ASC-Certified/Audited Mass Mortalities Pile Up at Lousy Mowi & Scottish Sea Farms!
New Mortality Data for Disease-Ridden Scottish Salmon - 700,000+ in the first two weeks of December!
Open letter to the ASC: Please cancel all certification of Mowi's toxic Scottish salmon!
Mowi's 'Host' With the Most....Toxic Chemicals & Antibiotics (certified as "responsibly farmed" by the ASC)!
ASC cancel Mowi certifications due to exceedances of antibiotics use, escape & "administrative reasons"!
Mass mortalities at ASC-certified Mowi!
Rest Assured - the RSPCA has been captured, co-opted & corrupted by the Salmafia
Update: Mortality Rate Over 36% At RSPCA Assured Scottish Salmon!
Mowi's 'Healthy' RSPCA Assured & ASC-Certified Salmon Farm at Gorsten (as featured in Seaspiracy)
Netflix's 'Seaspiracy' Exposes Disease-Ridden Scottish Salmon – As Sponsored by the RSPCA & Aquaculture Stewardship Council!
Mowi Moves Goalposts on ASC Certification
ASC-Certified Scottish Salmon Dead in the Water!
Anyone for ASC-Certified Scottish Salmon Doused in Carcinogenic Formaldehyde?
ASC-Certified Shellfish Killers (not to mention seals, diseases, lice, pollution etc)
EXPOSED: Scottish Salmon's Sustainability Scam
Lipstick on a Pig - WWF's Makeover At Marine Harvest
WWF Greenwashes Marine Harvest
The Abominable Salmon Council - Buyer Beware!
Pepé Le Pew Loves Farmed Salmon!