How much is Mowi paying off Compa$$ion in World Farming?

Compa$$ion in World Farming plunges into Fish Farmageddon by greenwashing Mowi's @rspcaassured mass mortalities, lice infestation, toxic chemical use, seal killing & infectious diseases.
Shame on @philip_ciwf @ciwf @media_ciwf @CIWF_EU @CIWF_Global - how much is Mowi paying? pic.twitter.com/zJf4jx4R0q
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 29, 2023

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Nov 29, 2023 at 10:17 AM
Subject: CIWF donations from Mowi?
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Philip Lymbery <[email protected]>, Phil Brooke <[email protected]>, Dr Nick Palmer <[email protected]>, Dr Natasha Boyland <[email protected]>

How much in donations or other financial support (e.g. brown paper envelopes) has CIWF received from Mowi?

Thanks,

Don

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2023 at 08:47
Subject: Press release: Compassion in World Farming Launches Salmon Scorecard to Measure Welfare in Aquaculture
To: <[email protected]>

Compassion in World Farming Launches Salmon Scorecard to Measure Welfare in Aquaculture

Compassion in World Farming has launched a new Salmon Welfare Scorecard, reporting the performance of eight major salmon producers against 13 key welfare parameters.

Fish are sentient animals capable of feeling pain, stress and fear, as well as experiencing positive emotions, social bonds, and advanced intelligence. They are sensitive creatures and like many other animals, they explore, socialise, hunt and play. Yet many fish are intensively reared on farms where they are forced to live in conditions that fail to meet their basic welfare needs.

In recent years, there has been an increase in public awareness about animal welfare, sustainability, and healthy food, with many people turning to eating more fish as they decrease their red meat consumption. As the demand for seafood has soared, aquaculture has become the world’s fastest-growing food sector producing $265 billion worth of goods in 2020. Today over half the seafood we consume is farmed.[1]

More than 400 million salmon are raised globally each year, with longstanding criticism having been levelled at the industry for failing to find solid welfare-oriented solutions for addressing stocking densities, mortality rates from sea lice infestations, and the lack of mental stimuli for salmon reared in barren environments.

This new Salmon Welfare Scorecard aims to provide meaningful engagement with the salmon industry, fostering transparency across the supply chain. It will enable producers to report authoritatively on salmon welfare and provide a basis for rewarding better policy and practice; all with the aim of improving the welfare of farmed salmon.

The Scorecard has evaluated the public policies of eight salmon producers[2] in their transparent reporting of key welfare issues, which together represent more than 50% of worldwide salmon production. These are based on assessments made from publicly available company information, rated across 13 welfare parameters including stocking density, humane slaughter, sea lice infestations and mortality. Each parameter is marked independently with the resultant comparison table being based on a 5-colour scale, from red to green. (for a full explanation of the scorecard see report: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/7455901/salmon-welfare-scorecard-public-report-2023.pdf )

All the producers included were consulted about the Scorecard’s original findings in March 2023 and had the opportunity to improve their scores by updating any publicly available information prior to publication, as well as being offered private, dedicated meetings with Compassion’s Food Business team to discuss how to make welfare improvements.

Certain companies stood out in the Scorecard’s ratings for specific parameters. Bakkafrost was the only producer that has performed well for predator management, while MOWI and CERMAQ did so for the Key Welfare Indicator section and for their policies on Humane Slaughter. In 2022, MOWI received a Special Recognition Award from Compassion in recognition of their global policy of using a stun-kill percussive system for 100% of their salmon, across all countries, to ensure they are humanely killed. This policy is in line with Compassion’s recommendation and therefore earned MOWI the maximum score (dark green code) on the Scorecard.

While there are some examples of good practice, and engagement has driven positive change in the communication of producers such as MOWI, CERMAQ and Aquachile, the Scorecard demonstrates that there is still a long way to go. Policy reporting around transfer and transport, stocking density and enclosure (i.e., rearing system and environmental enrichment) all remain very much in the red/orange colour scale across the board. Messaging around humane slaughter is massively understated and an area where communication could be improved. Policies around sea lice are also an area of ongoing concern and that require improvement and further engagement.

Compassion in World Farming’s Global CEO, Philip Lymbery, said: “The Salmon Welfare Scorecard is a valuable tool for encouraging greater awareness, transparency and investment in higher salmon welfare. I look forward to seeing increasing progress on fish welfare as a result of engagement with this Scorecard initiative, an approach that we intend to also apply to the farming of other fish species.”

The Scorecard will be updated again next year to allow for deeper engagement over the coming months with producers and Compassion is planning to publish the next iteration in November 2024 which will include more producers. After this second edition the Salmon Welfare Scorecard will be published every two years. To see this year’s report click here: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/7455901/salmon-welfare-scorecard-public-report-2023.pdf

-ends-

For further information, please contact Sophie Peel at Currant Communications

on 0203 638 0323 or 07552 451264

or email: [email protected]

Notes to editors:

Compassion in World Farming is the leading international farm animal welfare charity, campaigning to improve the lives of millions of farm animals through advocacy, lobbying for legislative change, and positive engagement with the global food industry. Our established international Food Business programme aims to achieve a holistic approach to sustainable food production by driving transformational change for farm animals, reducing our reliance on animal sourced foods, and moving the food industry towards more regenerative, nature friendly farming.

www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com.

How much in donations or other financial support (e.g. brown paper envelopes) has CIWF received from Mowi?@philip_ciwf @ciwf @media_ciwf @CIWF_EU @CIWF_Global @MowiScotlandLtd @MowiCanadaWest @CurrantComms @ScotlandSalmon @Emma_Slav pic.twitter.com/E4auna0Mab
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 29, 2023

The Sunday Mail reported on 26 November 2023:

"Salmon farming giant Mowi has withdrawn one of its sites from an organic certification scheme after secret filming revealed lice-infested fish" @Daily_Record @MowiScotlandLtd @vivacampaigns @SoilAssociation @SoilAssocScot @asda @sainsburys @Tesco https://t.co/OSAHhh073P
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 26, 2023

"Rogue fish farmers could face prosecution in groundbreaking Scots 'ecocide' plan" reports today's Sunday Mail @Daily_Record https://t.co/fQh4BTqGjE
Next year's news as the $almafia face jail time?! @TavishScott @ScotlandSalmon @MowiScotlandLtd pic.twitter.com/wl7FpaNmFF
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 26, 2023

Watch video footage shot at Mowi's 'organic' and RSPCA Assured 'welfare friendly' salmon farms in Scotland during 2023:

In a press statement issued earlier this morning (29 November 2023), Don Staniford said:

"Shame on CIWF for greenwashing lethal salmon farming. Giving the green light to Mowi - a company ravaged by mass mortalities, infectious diseases and lice infestations - makes a mockery of the scorecard. CIWF have scored an embarrassing own goal. How much is the $almafia paying CIWF?"

FishyLeaks reported via a press release in February 2023:

Scottish Salmon Watch reported in March 2021:

Why does @ciwf only call for a moratorium on reckless expansion of salmon farming when all the video evidence demands an end to sea cage farming in Scotland? https://t.co/l7yATM19mr
The only way to "Stop Salmon Suffering" is to stop salmon farming. Full stop. Period. Ban it now!
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 23, 2021

ere's an email from Scottish Salmon Watch to Compassion In World Farming:

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 11:37 AM
Subject: CIWF's watered down 'moratorium' message lets diseased & abused Scottish salmon slip off the hook - please Rethink!
To: Natasha Smith <[email protected]>, Dr Natasha Boyland <[email protected]>, Sophie Peutrill <[email protected]>, Sean Gifford <[email protected]>, Philip Lymbery <[email protected]>, Phil Brooke <[email protected]>, Peter Stevenson <[email protected]>, Dr Krzysztof Wojtas <[email protected]>

Firstly, congratulations on the shocking video footage of welfare abuse inside salmon farms in Scotland published today. This is a game-changer in the campaign to end sea cage salmon farming. I've blogged via: REVEALED: The Farmed Salmon Crisis

However, CIWF's watered down messaging calling for a moratorium to end the "reckless" and "runaway" expansion of salmon farming in Scotland is appallingly weak and misguided. CIWF's petition effectively says to the salmon farming industry and Scottish Government that ca. 200 salmon farms and 200,000 tonnes of farmed salmon production is fine with CIWF.

Such messaging is completely out of kilter with British Columbia, for example, which is currently closing down salmon farms. Even Mowi in Scotland is closing down two salmon farms.

How can CIWF justify such a weak position based on the shocking video evidence of widespread welfare abuse at salmon farms in Scotland?

Surely CIWF should demand that all the salmon farms featured in the video footage (including RSPCA Assured sites) are immediately closed down?

Indeed, how can CIWF take a different position on sea cage salmon farming than with cage farming on land?

So whilst CIWF campaigns to 'End the Cage Age', CIWF is happy to only halt the expansion of salmon farming (i.e. the status quo and current production levels are fine - and you could argue that CIWF's use of the words "reckless" and "runaway" implies that "measured" expansion is fine too):

The video evidence from CIWF - coupled with photographic evidence published by the Scottish Government and damning 'Case Information' published by the Fish Health Inspectorate - demands only one resolution: the end of sea cage salmon farming.

It is illogical and unreasonable for CIWF to campaign to "Stop Salmon Suffering" when even a reduction of farmed salmon production will not end suffering. Even 'welfare friendly' salmon farming certified by RSPCA Assured (who accredit ca. 70% of Scottish salmon farming in return for over £500,000 per year) and supported by the SSPCA who are chaired by a salmon farmer for Scottish Sea Farms (one of the companies exposed as endorsing welfare abuse in your new video footage - and previous video footage) has been shown to promote salmon suffering.

I am trying to find an appropriate analogy but it appears akin to a footballer dribbling past the entire defence and then with an open goal somehow fails to score. Hopefully you get the picture of a missed opportunity.

CIWF has in effect snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

It begs the question: does CIWF receive financial support from the salmon farming sector or from accreditation bodies such as RSPCA Assured who make money by promoting salmon farming?

Keeping with the football analogy it reminds me of Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar allegedly throwing a game for money.

Whatever the case - and I have huge admiration for many people working at CIWF - it does seem that CIWF have compromised their principles and position in relation to salmon farming even with shocking video evidence staring in your face.

Whilst CIWF is content to support over 200,000 tonnes of salmon farming production and only call for an end to the reckless and runaway expansion, Scottish Salmon Watch will continue to campaign for the end of sea cage salmon farming in Scotland. Stopping salmon suffering necessarily requires stopping salmon farming completely. Full stop. Period. End of story. There can be no compromise.

Scottish Salmon Watch hopes that CIWF rethink their position on salmon farming and include sea cage salmon farming in their campaign to ban the cage age.

I just Tweeted via: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1374322946240577537

This email features in a blog via: CIWF's watered down 'moratorium' message lets diseased & abused Scottish salmon slip off the hook - please Rethink!

I would be happy to include a reply from CIWF.

Best fishes,

Don Staniford

Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

CIWF's misty-eyed view that salmon farming can continue without compromising the suffering of salmon and does not need to be stopped immediately is as myopic as Mr Magoo! @CIWF_EU @media_ciwf @philip_ciwf
Salmon farming needs to be stopped now in Scotland - no compromises! pic.twitter.com/YFkTM2qAu1
— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 23, 2021

Green Around the Gills

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

11/29/2023

How much is Mowi paying off Compa$$ion in World Farming?

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