“Salmon farms in Scotland are killing tens of millions of Atlantic salmon crammed in cages in sea lochs, freshwater lochs & in land-based tanks” said Jamie Moyes, Scottish Director of the Real Salmon Farming Resistance “I’ve seen at first hand the horrors of factory fish farming” pic.twitter.com/dctw50zZEG
Download the press release and media backgrounder in full online here
"If the general public witnessed the true costs of salmon farming then they would stop buying abused farmed salmon. Shame on the RSPCA for greenwashing the toxic and lethal salmon farming industry" @rspcaassured@ASC_aquapic.twitter.com/E7bVHoDqmJ
“Salmon farming is the spawn of the devil whether in the sea, freshwater or on land” said Don Staniford, Global Director of the Real Salmon Farming Resistance. “Land-based salmon farms are a welfare nightmare and must be closed down to stop the suffering of millions of fish” pic.twitter.com/B0KWV0Xc5D
Last month (16 February 2023), Living Oceans Society championed land-based salmon farming in a post on Facebook:
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) admit on their website that they “promote cleaner, more sustainable alternatives” to open net cage salmon farming. NASF’s ‘Seafood Summit’ took place this week (16/17 March 2023) in Iceland - including presentations by pro-salmon farming businesses and advocates:
Here's correspondence with the Global Salmon Farming Resistance:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 9:37 AM Subject: Re: The Real Salmon Farming Resistance - new group fighting ALL salmon farms To: @gsfr.com
Many thanks to everyone who is joining the Real Salmon Farming Resistance in our global campaigns against all salmon farms (including closed-containment, semi-closed containment and land-based systems). We now have a new logo and Facebook page via https://www.facebook.com/groups/1593534851154844
A recent Facebook post by Ruben Oddekalv of the Green Warriors of Norway (who attended the recent NASF 'Seafood Summit' helpfully illustrates the difference between the Global Salmon Farming Resistance (who has members advocating support for land-based salmon farming and closed containment salmon farming) and the Real Salmon Farming Resistance (who advocates for a zero tolerance to salmon farming - in any shape or form):
Speaking personally, I struggle to see how a group can give an 'absolute demand' for a ban on cod farming but not campaign for a ban on salmon farming.
People with memories like elephants and those who have been in this fight for a long time will remember meeting in Chile in 2007 at a summit hosted by Douglas Tompkins (Captain Paul Watson, Kurt Oddekalv, Bruce Sandison, Juan Carlos Cardenas, Catherine Stewart, Jay Ritchlin and others were in attendance). This summit was followed up by another summit in Norway hosted by Kurt Oddekalv in 2008 and another in British Columbia in 2008 when an 'International Declaration Against Unsustainable Salmon Farming' was signed by Chief Bob Chamberlin, Alexandra Morton, Stan Proboszcz, Craig Orr and others: https://www.aquafeed.com/documents/24/1226108419_1.pdf
A press release issued in November 2008 included:
While some would like to see salmon farms in closed tanks, Dr. Wolfram Heise of Chile states: “It’s simply not possible to produce salmon in a sustainable way. You will never get it into ecological balance. There is no right way of doing the wrong thing!”
Suffice to say that over the last 15 years the debate has raged on with the transition from open net cage salmon farming to land-based salmon farming and closed containment systems gathering pace (and mass mortalities and welfare abuse from land-based systems piling up higher and higher).
Back in 2010, when I was employed by Pew Environment Group's 'Pure Salmon Campaign' I was an advocate of closed containment as an alternative to open net cage salmon farming:
"In an act of solidarity, we're asking consumers to 'migrate' away from farmed salmon raised in British Columbia and eat something else," said Don Staniford, global coordinator, Pure Salmon Campaign. "Open-net cage salmon farms in British Columbia waters jeopardize the future of wild salmon populations. These industrial-scale feed lots should be transferred to land. And the five farms in the Wild Salmon Narrows should be some of the first facilities relocated."
However, evidence gathered over the last decade has shown that closed containment salmon farms - on land and in the sea - are a welfare nightmare. Damning video footage shot in 2019 by Compassion Over Killing (Animal Outlook) at a land-based salmon farm operated by Cooke in Maine was crucial evidence against land based salmon farming and shows the contradiction in campaigning against open net cage salmon farming but not against land-based salmon farming: https://animaloutlook.org/investigations/aquaculture/
In the UK, the move towards land-based salmon farming is attracting significant opposition and I am supporting this work:
I certainly do not think it is a defensible position in 2023 - and beyond - to advocate for closed containment salmon farming in any shape or form. Hence the strategic switch.
Further context is outlined below. This helps explain some of the reasoning behind the launch of the Real Salmon Farming Resistance.
If anyone has any questions please email me directly - there will be a Zoom call next month to discuss future work. The first action of the Real Salmon Farming Resistance will be a protest against land-based salmon farming (probably in May).
I will obviously continue to campaign vocally against open net cage salmon farms and will happily feed into any information networks.
Best fishes,
Don
Founder, the Real Salmon Farming Resistance
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Mar 17, 2023 at 5:15 PM Subject: Re: The Real Salmon Farming Resistance - new group fighting ALL salmon farms To: @gsfr.com
Since a significant number of the current members of the GSFR do not resist salmon farming (Living Oceans and NASF actively promote salmon farming for example and Patagonia seem to advocate land based salmon farming too) perhaps you should change your name to the Global Salmon Farming Resistance to Open Net Cage Salmon Farming?
That way there would be less confusion but it is a bit wordy.
I've spoken to several people today on this issue and would be only too happy to communicate further on the matter.
Perhaps you could ask GSFR members to publicly identify their position on closed containment, freshwater salmon farming, semi-enclosed containment and land based salmon farming to gauge the extent of the group's differences?
I would bet that all the animal welfare groups inside the GSFR have difficulty with the promotion of land based salmon farming.
This was a discussion we had on email and in person via Zoom over the last few years - and it has obviously not been resolved.
I don't think that members of the Global Salmon Farming Resistance can remain involved if they advocate (as Living Oceans do) for the promotion of salmon farming. That's an obvious disconnect and does not seem to be a tenable position.
The word "resistance" means not compromising and blocking salmon farming. I don't think the French Resistance advocated against the Nazi takeover of France but said publicly that it was OK for the Nazis to take over the UK.
That doesn't seem a logical or reasonable position to take in a resistance movement. By the same token, the GSFR (if they are to be true to their name) must resist all salmon farms. If not, then you have a huge credibility problem.
Speaking personally, I don't have a problem working with groups all along the green spectrum but I don't think every group fits into the Global Salmon Farming Resistance.
Best fishes,
Don
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 2:12 PM Subject: The Real Salmon Farming Resistance - new group fighting ALL salmon farms To: @thegsfr.com
Suffice to say that $camon $cotland is inviting people to join the Real Salmon Farming Resistance.
This new group - spawned from frustration with NGOs giving implicit or explicit support for closed containment or semi-enclosed salmon farming - will campaign against all salmon farms.
Put simply, salmon farming is an ethically and environmentally bankrupt industry whether it is in the sea or on land. Cramming a migratory species such as salmon in cages - whether in the marine environment or freshwater - is an ecological and welfare nightmare.
I understand that different groups take varying positions on closed containment and land-based salmon farming within the broad coalition of the Global Salmon Farming Resistance. However, the Real Salmon Farming Resistance will advocate for the end of ALL salmon farming globally - not just open net cages in the sea.
Speaking personally, I've campaigned long enough on the salmon farming issue (and adopted various shades of green at various times) to come to the conclusion that a zero tolerance approach is the only way forward for me. There is no 'pure' salmon in my view other than wild salmon (certainly not lab grown salmon; not GE salmon; and not salmon grown in cages, tanks or closed containers).
I respect the fact that others do not share this view and people are obviously free to collaborate, compromise and coordinate with pro-salmon farming interests. I will not be party to such discussions but am always available to provide input to any discussions aimed solely at stopping salmon farms in the sea or on land.
The ongoing shift from open net cages towards semi-enclosed and land-based systems is attracting growing criticism:
"Dr Nick Palmer, head of Compassion in World Farming UK, told The Ferret that RAS systems “typically use very high stocking densities and confine fish to barren tanks devoid of environmental enrichment” meaning their behavioural needs are not met.
Palmer also pointed out that the salmon reared at in Grimsby will be given feed containing wild-caught fish. “This practice puts additional pressure on our already overfished wild populations and impacts other wild animals that rely on those fish to survive,” said Palmer, who urged North East Lincolnshire Council to reject the project.
“There are other environmental concerns too – RAS are energy intensive, and many systems also rely heavily on precious resources like freshwater. It is estimated that to produce one salmon fillet in a RAS system, it takes as much freshwater as one person would drink in a whole year.”
Please message me if you're interested in supporting this new initiative - there will be a Zoom call next month as the group gets off the ground.
Best fishes,
Don
“Salmon farming is the spawn of the devil whether in the sea, freshwater or on land” said Don Staniford, Global Director of the Real Salmon Farming Resistance. “Land-based salmon farms are a welfare nightmare and must be closed down to stop the suffering of millions of fish” pic.twitter.com/B0KWV0Xc5D
➡️NEW: A former Scottish salmon farming boss accused of spying on a key critic of the industry is among the directors of a firm aiming to build the UK’s largest fish farm in Grimsby. 🧵https://t.co/bs36VPSjGv
“Recirculated Aquaculture Systems are energy intensive & many rely heavily on precious resources like freshwater. It is estimated that to produce one salmon fillet in a RAS system it takes as much freshwater as one person would drink in a whole year” https://t.co/a6qlFacrLc@ciwf
Corin Smith of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots revealed his full quote provided to the Ferret in a post on Facebook (10 March 2023):
"In my view Craig Anderson is a dodgy individual with little or no regard for the environment, animal welfare or local communities, I'd be very concerned about any development that he is associated with.
During his time as CEO the Scottish Salmon Company regularly breached SEPA regulations for seabed pollution as well having the some of lowest welfare standards in the industry, with hundreds of thousands of caged salmon left to die slow agonising deaths from disease and parasites on his feedlots.
When I pointed out the impact his salmon farms were having on wild salmon and the local pollution being caused, rather than deal with the issues, he commissioned a private investigator to snoop into my affairs and track my movements.
This matter remains under investigation by Police Scotland as in addition to the "intelligence report" he commissioned, I subsequently found a GPS Tracker had been placed on my family car. A car that I use to drive my kids to school. I have found the PI who did the snooping and wrote the report, he hasn't yet commented on the GPS Tracker.
Even if this feedlot development was nothing to do with Craig Anderson it should be a huge concern for residents given its environmental impact will be equivalent to a floating pig farm of around 20,000 head discharging all its slurry, chemicals and plastics direct into the sea. But given Anderson's previous role as a frontman for murky money with links to Yuriy Lopatynsky (owner of SSC via anonymous offshore trusts) and his seeming complete disregard for the environment and animal welfare, alarm bells should be ringing like crazy for Grimsby residents.
"Smith has shown The Ferret photographs of a GPS tracker allegedly found on the underside of his car in June 2021. Police Scotland confirmed it had received a report from Smith about the tracking device and the TSSC ‘intelligence report’ and that “enquiries remain ongoing” pic.twitter.com/B6N6QSzam8
➡️NEW: A former Scottish salmon farming boss accused of spying on a key critic of the industry is among the directors of a firm aiming to build the UK’s largest fish farm in Grimsby. 🧵https://t.co/bs36VPSjGv
Here's photos from yesterday's protest against a 5,000 tonne salmon farm proposed by AquaCultured Seafood Ltd which would pump 1 million litres of effluent PER DAY onto Cleethorpes Beach (within spitting distance of Grimsby Town Football Club):
Here's video footage from yesterday's protest (7 March 2023):
Here's video reports from Don Staniford next to the proposed development:
Yesterday (7 March 2023), BBC Look East featured the growing protest against super-sized plans by AquaCultured Seafood Ltd for a 5,000 tonne salmon farm spewing 1 million litres of effluent PER DAY into the Humber Estuary off Cleethorpes Beach near Grimsby Football Club in North East England. Here's the lunchtime news report:
Public opposition is building against a super-sized proposal by AquaCultured Seafood Ltd for a 5,000 tonne salmon farm in Cleethorpes (just next to Grimsby Town Football Club and Grimsby docks) in the North-East of England.
"As a property owner who lives close to the proposed site, I am concerned about the smell that will emanate from the large tanks of salmon, also the flood risk should these tanks spring a leak" (Miss C Masters of Fuller St in Cleethorpes @NELCouncil) @officialgtfc@jstockwoodpic.twitter.com/NP2cnhhliI
"The local residents have had enough! The impact on the wildlife would be immense. We have several species of butterfly and humming bird moths, foxes, badgers, roe deer and sparrow hawks" (Amanda Hunt of Harrington St in Cleethorpes) @NELCouncil@officialgtfc@jstockwoodpic.twitter.com/zhmvf0K3Rf
"I strongly oppose the building of the salmon farm. This would be too near the residential properties. The smell from this will be terrible. Residents are under the illusion that this is going to be a big pond. They do not realise the enormity of this farm" (Linda Calvert) pic.twitter.com/D8fIraL0Eu
"I strongly oppose the plan to build a salmon farm in Cleethorpes. We have wading birds in their 1000s that feed along the shoreline & beautiful beach. There are deer, at least 2 endangered butterfly species, countless birds & other wildlife. Why destroy all this?" (Jane Board) pic.twitter.com/bSJFaR17Js
Two-thirds (67%) of people responding to a Facebook survey said they were opposed to the salmon farm development with a further 21% saying it should be relocated to Grimsby docks:
Please meet on Tuesday (7 March) at 6pm on Grimsby Rd outside McDonalds - just outside Blundell Park (home of Grimsby Town FC)!
Shhhh - deep undercover in the North East of England protesting against a 5,000 tonne salmon farm which, if approved @NELCouncil, would be largest in the UK https://t.co/xY5UTIRwIH If you're in the Grimsby area on Tuesday please join our protest at 6pm outside @officialgtfcpic.twitter.com/Fc0Rr9Of3e
"Cramming millions of Atlantic salmon in land-based tanks is a welfare nightmare and an ecological disaster," said Don Staniford, Director of $camon $cotland. "Factory salmon farms are torture chambers - concentration camps for fish - plagued by mass mortalities, infectious diseases and unnecessary suffering. Discharging a staggering 1 million cubic litres of effluents per day into the Humber Estuary - a RAMSAR, SSSI and Special Protected Area - will inevitably spread viruses, pathogens, bacteria and parasites as well as environmental pollution. Local residents are revolting against this super-sized salmon farm which, if approved, would be the UK's largest at 5,000 tonnes (the largest salmon farm in Scotland is 3,950 tonnes). Noise pollution, impacts on wildlife (the site is a safe haven for deer, foxes, badgers, butterflies, bats and birds) and the bad smell emanating from the 40,000 square metre development have already spawned community objections. Grimsby Town FC - nicknamed 'The Mariners' - may have to swap for their Harry Haddock mascot for Skanky Salmon if this monstrous proposal gets the green light. That North East Lincolnshire Council is recommending approval without conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment - and without questioning the financial credentials of the fishy investors behind AquaCultured Seafood Ltd - raises alarm bells."
I just spoke to Humberside Police and there is a police log # of 180 - 1 March 2023.
My phone number is 07771 541826.
The protest is not against Grimsby FC but against the proposed 5,000 tonne stinky salmon farm which is planned for just over the railway line by Harrington St:
Would we be allowed to unveil a banner at half-time during Tuesday's game vs Newport?
Would we be able to set up a photo opp with Harry Haddock and Salmon Salmon (we have stuffed salmon)?
If you want further details please let me know.
Thanks,
Don Stamiford
$camon $cotland
And to AquaCultured Seafood:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Mar 3, 2023 at 9:34 AM Subject: Meeting at proposed salmon farm in Grimsby/Cleethorpes on Tuesday (7 March)? To: <gabriella.bexson@montagu-evans.co.uk>, <craig.blatchford@montagu-evans.co.uk>, <simon@kddesign.org.uk>, <james@aquacultured.co.uk>, <clare.mcilwraith@aecom.com>, <jo.atkinson@aecom.com>, <Tony.marshall@aecom.com> Cc: <Richard.Limmer@nelincs.gov.uk>
Would it be possible to set up a meeting with AquaCultured Seafood Ltd at the proposed salmon farm site in Grimsby/Cleethorpes on Tuesday (7 March)?
I am available to meet at any time during Tuesday 7 March at your convenience.
Could you please share any more information on the proposal?
"Up to1,000m3/day of effluent will be generated from the aquaculture process. The effluent will be treated to a very high standard, usingthe best qualitywater filtration technologies developed by AquaMaof to producetreated effluent that is very low in nutrients and suspended solids.Effluent water will be treated and dischargedwith surface water through the AWA outfall locatedwithintheABP/AWAownership".
1,000m3 per day equates to 1 million cubic litres of effluent per day - what exactly does "a very high standard" mean in reality? What viruses, pathogens, parasites, bacteria, chemicals and contaminants will be in the wastewater and treated effluents?
And where exactly is the AWA outfall? Does this discharge effluents directly onto Cleethorpes Beach?
Fish Farming Expert reported on 13 February 2023: "Aquacultured Seafood plans to build a state-of-the-art 5,000 tonne per year salmon facility in Grimsby employing approximately 100 people at the new facility. The project will boost economic growth as the company invests approximately £100 million into the project over the next two years," said a spokesperson for the company. "The project, which has received excellent support from businesses and politicians, will feature cutting edge technology to become one of the most environmentally friendly ways of producing nutritious food."
Could you please provide more details on the £100 million investment?
In terms of "excellent support from businesses and politicians" could you please provide further details. I am unaware of any businesses and politicians speaking out publicly in support of what would be the UK's largest salmon farm.
Please note a new blog showcasing local objections via:
If you had time to meet at the proposed site on Tuesday 7 March it would be much appreciated (I would also be available to meet at the site on Monday 6 March).
Director of AquaCultured Seafood, Craig Anderson (the 'Spy Who Loved Scottish Salmon'), has my contact details and other background information already but I am available on 07771 541826.
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 9:34 AM Subject: Typo in planning application - Davies not Davis To: <gabriella.bexson@montagu-evans.co.uk>, <craig.blatchford@montagu-evans.co.uk>, <simon@kddesign.org.uk>, <james@aquacultured.co.uk>, <clare.mcilwraith@aecom.com>, <jo.atkinson@aecom.com>, <Tony.marshall@aecom.com> Cc: <Richard.Limmer@nelincs.gov.uk>
Craig Anderson, when Chief Executive of The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost Scotland), hired a private investigator to spy on activist Corin Smith and a second unnamed person (understood to be Don Staniford):
Acting for investors and people guilty of illegal surveillance, illegal hacking and illegal money laundering may not be illegal in itself (I'm not a lawyer but your lawyers may be able to advise you in that regard). However, such behaviour is morally and ethically bankrupt.
"Fish can be seen clustering together near the surface of the water, where they are visibly cramped for some time. The blood pooling in the slaughter machinery suggests that the pump equipment used to transport fish from the pens onto the boat is likely causing extensive trauma" pic.twitter.com/gVK0MeTdAj
Salmon-spiracy continues…☠️ Before we shared shocking truth of salmon farming in Scotland. Now discovered dead fish carcasses are being used to produce electricity and gas. Action: 1. Stop buying farmed salmon 2. Contact your supermarket 3. Share this video#EndSalmonFarmingpic.twitter.com/2HzAEdO1Co
Local residents living next to a proposed 5,000 tonne salmon farm - which would be the UK's largest - are speaking out against the £75 million development which North East Lincolnshire Council is seeking to slip through the environmental assessment net. $camon $cotland visited Cleethorpes and Grimsby yesterday (21 February 2023) to hear from naturalist John Nelson about why the proposed site is now a haven for wildlife:
Here's more video reports shot along Cleethorpes Beach - where the proposed 5,000 tonne salmon farm would be located and where (according to planning documents submitted in December 2022) 1,000 cubic metres of effluent would be discharged daily into the Humber Estuary (a RAMSAR site, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area):
Campaigners on both sides of the Atlantic - in Canada and Scotland - have issued a clarion call to stop the expansion of semi-closed salmon farming dead in its tracks.
Campaigners on both sides of the Atlantic - in Canada and Scotland - have issued a clarion call to stop the expansion of semi-closed salmon farming dead in its tracks. "Cermaq’s new system is a viral super-spreader, just like any open-net pen salmon farm" says @ClayoquotActionpic.twitter.com/WXAqbyiQae
"What our divers found beneath the Semi-closed containment system was shocking—a rain of salmon sewage! The system pumps large amounts of water into and out of the farm, with no filtering of the effluent. So Cermaq’s new system is a viral super-spreader, just like any open-net pen salmon farm."
"We're learning the lessons about the perils of semi-closed containment the hard way here in British Columbia," added Lewis. "Hopefully in Scotland, campaigners can stop semi-closed systems dead in their tracks in Loch Long and in Loch Linnhe. The take home message from Canada is that semi-closed containment is a flawed and failed technology which should be avoided like the plague".
"Hopefully in Scotland, campaigners can stop semi-closed systems dead in their tracks in Loch Long & Loch Linnhe" said @ClayoquotAction "The take home message from Canada is that semi-closed containment is a flawed & failed technology which should be avoided like the plague" pic.twitter.com/i9ulGK2a3b
"Closed containment is like Low Tar salmon farming and is still seriously bad for the health of our global ocean and the welfare of farmed salmon," said Don Staniford, Director of $camon $cotland. "Closed containment - even so-called 'semi-closed' technology - may represent more of a welfare nightmare with mass mortalities and infectious diseases plaguing closed systems all over the globe. The use of toxic chemicals and lice infestation has also been reported in closed systems. Far from being a panacea for salmon farming's problems, closed containment systems may well exacerbate problems. And even if you buy the industry's salmon spin, the lesser of two evils is still evil. Put simply - there is no right way to do the wrong thing."
"There should be a global ban on salmon farming - whether that is in the sea in open cages, semi-enclosed cages or closed containment systems or on land. Cramming a migratory species like the King of Fish - the Atlantic salmon - in cages is ethically and environmentally bankrupt. Salmon farming has turned the Leaper (in Latin, Atlantic salmon is Salmo salar meaning the Leaper) into a leper. Factory salmon farming is akin to keeping Golden Eagles and albatrosses in cages and has no place in sustainable food systems or healthy ecosystems."
Loch Long Salmon claim on their website that sea lice will not be a problem and that no toxic chemicals will be used inside their FiiZK semi-closed containment system:
Lice infestation may be the least of Loch Long Salmon's problems in Loch Linnhe where the 8,000 tonne salmon farm proposal is already running into local opposition.
Campaigners against Loch Long Salmon's plans to site a semi-closed containment salmon farm in Loch Long - inside a National Park - have cited the problems experienced in Canada.
As Dan Lewis @ClayoquotAction put it: "What we learned was that there were 'fish welfare concerns resulting from chronic exposure to higher levels of ammonia'. In other words, those fish were forced to breath their own urine, probably burning their gills" @AFFtheClyde@loch_longpic.twitter.com/9N93aP96sT
"Cermaq's semi-closed fish farm experiment in Clayoquot Sound failed after only 1 year, because fish were dying from breathing their own urine".
As Dan Lewis from Clayoquot Action puts it: "What we learned was that there were 'fish welfare concerns resulting from chronic exposure to higher levels of ammonia'. In other words, those fish were forced to breath their own urine, probably burning their gills…"
Loch Long Salmon seem to have a cess-pool of bullsh*t clogging their gills and fogging up their brain.
"Even if closed containment can mitigate the risks of escapes & interaction of marine mammals, the problems of mass mortalities, infectious diseases and unsustainable feed resources will never go away. The lesser of two evils is still evil" @TheScotsmanhttps://t.co/qU5Ls4BG6N
Undercover surveillance inside salmon farms across Scotland during 2022 published by Dale Vince at Ecotricity has graphically illustrated the welfare nightmare of Scottish salmon - semi-closed containment salmon farming could be even worse!
Salmon-spiracy continues…☠️ Before we shared shocking truth of salmon farming in Scotland. Now discovered dead fish carcasses are being used to produce electricity and gas. Action: 1. Stop buying farmed salmon 2. Contact your supermarket 3. Share this video#EndSalmonFarmingpic.twitter.com/2HzAEdO1Co
Surveillance by $almafia: "Don Staniford is on the island - he is driving a Skoda...I'll see if I can find him...He will try to get a boat to take him out to the pens...Well worth making sure all ensiler hatches are clear of debris & no drippy bins of morts are lying around" pic.twitter.com/nEhpwym3Hq
Exclusive: Subject Access Request lifts lid on spying by the $almafia @ScotlandSalmon@CookeScotland "Don Staniford is hitting the freshwater sites now so need to be more vigilant than ever....Don Staniford came on the agenda yesterday which had to be dealt with" @tavishscottpic.twitter.com/IuItiQRH3D
"Long-time anti-salmon farming campaigner Don Staniford has objected that the site will be in close proximity to the Hunterston B nuclear power station. He described the combination of fish farming and nuclear energy as “a marriage made in hell”." https://t.co/rf65kCVqVb#Blinkypic.twitter.com/kc4SJ4ZWSH
News that Faroese/Norwegian giant Bakkafrost is planning a monster-sized salmon farm next to Hunterston nuclear power station - reported exclusively by $camon $cotland yesterday - is making waves in the trade press. Fish Farmer reported (15 February 2023):
The Scottish salmon farming industry - staggering from one crisis to another - is now scraping the very bottom of the toxic barrel by seeking to expand in the contaminated waters & land around Hunterston nuclear power station! @edfenergy@ScotlandSalmonhttps://t.co/t7nfF7AiAVpic.twitter.com/6e12HrsM2P
The Scottish salmon farming industry - staggering from one crisis to another - is now scraping the very bottom of the toxic barrel by seeking to expand in the contaminated waters and land around Hunterston nuclear power station!
Locals have raised concerns about proximity of the development to the nuclear effluent pipe and potential for radioactive cesium and tritium to enter food chain and/or creation of low level radioactive waste during filtration processes.
$camon $cotland visited the proposed site chosen by Bakkafrost Scotland (The Scottish Salmon Company) last week (7 February 2023):
"Setting up shop next to a nuclear power station is the only way Scottish salmon could ever be green," said Don Staniford, Director of $camon $cotland. "Salmon farming is such a toxic industry that even the nuclear industry may not want Bakkafrost as a noxious neighbour. Nuclear power and salmon farming is a marriage made in hell. If this radioactive proposal gets the green light, shoppers should be on the look out for glow in the dark Scottish salmon with three heads lurking at the back of their fridge. Scottish salmon is pharmed and dangerous and should be avoided like the proverbial plague."
The farming of fish at the Hunterston nuclear power station site would not be the first time the toxic fish farming industry has floated the crazy idea. Back in the 1970s, an "innovative marine fish farm at Hunterston" used warm water from the nuclear power station to rear turbot, Dover sole, sea bass and halibut. The fish farm at Hunterston nuclear power station still shows up on 'Scotland's Aquaculture' database with Scottish Sea Farms (Norskott Havbruk) named as the operator:
The Scottish salmon farming industry - staggering from one crisis to another - is now scraping the very bottom of the toxic barrel by seeking to expand in the contaminated waters & land around Hunterston nuclear power station! @edfenergy@ScotlandSalmonhttps://t.co/t7nfF7AiAVpic.twitter.com/6e12HrsM2P
"Anyone in the council even considering this should be sacked. The area stinks enough without this monstrosity & this will kill what's left of the tourist industry. The negative impact this will have on the area will be massive." @GrimsbyLive@NELCouncilhttps://t.co/hqEnzrB5xjpic.twitter.com/EFsEbpVlAP
"It’s unprofessional, it’s possibly illegal & we’ll look into it further" said Craig Anderson (boss @salmon_scottish) in 2018 after Corin Smith filmed inside a disease-ridden salmon farm https://t.co/NGOxIOeDXV Then he hired a private investigator to look into it further!! pic.twitter.com/bMSWC6rht2
Yesterday (13 February 2023), $camon $cotland wrote to the planning team behind AquaCultured Seafood's super-sized salmon farm proposal asking where the £75 million in $almoney was coming from:
Craig Anderson, when Chief Executive of The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost Scotland), hired a private investigator to spy on activist Corin Smith and a second unnamed person (understood to be Don Staniford):
Acting for investors and people guilty of illegal surveillance, illegal hacking and illegal money laundering may not be illegal in itself (I'm not a lawyer but your lawyers may be able to advise you in that regard). However, such behaviour is morally and ethically bankrupt.
Fish Farmer: "Arch anti-fish farm campaigner Don Staniford travelled to Grimsby at the weekend to protest against the project, claiming that it 'had inspired a community backlash by brave residents' who, he says, have formed a protest group" https://t.co/soxUn8Igl8@fishfarmermagpic.twitter.com/VHiPji260t
"Firm behind Grimsby plan says it will mean 100 jobs" reports @fishfarmermag .....end world hunger, bring world peace, save the planet, solve all Brexit's problems & make everyone (including millions of farmed fish) happy as a clam! https://t.co/QmREhmz0gJ((
Campaigners are gearing up for a grim battle to sink a super-sized 5,000 tonne salmon farm which, if approved, would be the largest salmon farm in the UK (over 1,000 tonnes bigger than the largest salmon farm in Scotland and ten times England’s entire salmon farming production in 2020).
According to planning documents filed with North East Lincolnshire Council on 12 December 2022, the £75 million proposal by AquaCultured Seafood to farm salmon on a 40,000 square metre site next to Grimsby Football Club on the Humber Estuary (a RAMSAR site, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area) is estimated to generate 1,000 m3/day of effluents but no information has yet been provided on predicted mortalities, infectious diseases, the use of toxic chemicals, the number of fish, mitigation of the smell from dead salmon or how £75 million in investment will be raised.
$camon $cotland visited the proposed salmon farm yesterday (12 February 2023) to meet with concerned residents who are setting up a protest group to fight the factory fish farm. Julie Edwards and John Mooney spoke out against the super-sized salmon farm proposal by AquaCultured Seafood and were joined by Cllr Matthew Patrick and other residents:
“Strongly object to a salmon farm being built on that land,” wrote Kim Harvey of Manchester St in Cleethorpes in an objection filed with North East Lincolnshire Council last month (25 January 2023). “Records going back 40 years of all the wild life flowers migration of birds, deer, foxes, insects. Also a flood plain. To close to houses apart from the smell and all the crap that will end up being pumped in the sea. The north wall walkway should be a route to the docks but met with a locked gate. The docks is falling apart. Big objections from many people. Keep your back handers to the pocket park project and leave the area alone!”
“Deer graze on the proposed salmon farm site and seals have been seen on the slipway to Cleethorpes beach,” said resident Lynn Sayles who is opposed to an industrial salmon farm on her doorstep.
“Discharging huge amounts of effluents into the sea will undoubtedly impact on marine wildlife and beach tourism. Grimsby may have a fishy heritage but it is simply no place to locate a stinky salmon farm. AquaCultured should listen to local residents – as well as the foxes, birds, hedgehogs and wildflowers living on the proposed site - and ‘fish off’. North East Lincolnshire Council should be protecting the area as a wildlife park not promoting industrial fish farming.”
Here’s a 2-page leaflet prepared for local residents:
“It is Natural England’s advice, on the basis of the material supplied with the consultation, that there are potential likely significant effects on statutorily designated nature conservation sites or landscapes and further assessment is required,” commented Natural England in December 2022. “The proposed development is located within/partly within or has the potential for adverse effects on the following designated nature conservation sites or designated landscapes: Humber Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Humber Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Humber Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA), Greater Wash Special Protection Area (SPA) and Humber Estuary Ramsar Site.”
“The welfare nightmare of factory fish farming is a Hammer House of Horror story not a Brothers Grimm fairy tale with a happy ending,” said Don Staniford, Director of $camon $cotland who visited Grimsby yesterday (12 February 2023) to meet with concerned residents. “Even ‘Grimsby’ film star Sacha Baron Cohen would struggle to see the funny side of a torture chamber which kills between 50% of its stock.”
“Cramming millions of Atlantic salmon – the King of Fish – in closed cages is animal cruelty and a crime against nature. Community opposition has the power to stop this ethically and ecologically bankrupt proposal dead in its tracks. If this factory farm goes ahead, the crowd at Grimsby FC will need nose plugs to avoid the stench of farmed salmon and tourists will give Cleethorpes Beach a wide berth.”
Shocking video footage exposing cruelty inside a land-based salmon farm can be watched via Animal Outlook online here
Video footage detailing welfare abuse and mass mortalities inside Scottish salmon farming can be watched via ‘FishyLeaks’ and Ecotricity:
Salmon-spiracy continues…☠️ Before we shared shocking truth of salmon farming in Scotland. Now discovered dead fish carcasses are being used to produce electricity and gas. Action: 1. Stop buying farmed salmon 2. Contact your supermarket 3. Share this video#EndSalmonFarmingpic.twitter.com/2HzAEdO1Co
Data on mass mortalities piling up inside land-based salmon farms published on 1 February 2023 by the Scottish Government include weekly mortality events in excess of 1.5 million farmed salmon with death rates of up to 100% and disease problems such as Pancreas Disease, Fungus and Salmon Gill Pox:
Infectious diseases, lice infestation and mass mortalities are plaguing salmon farms in Scotland – with The Observer newspaper reporting last month (15 January 2023) that 15 million salmon died on farms during 2022 (almost double the previous year).
“Getting it right can be tricky,” reported Science last week (9 February 2023) in an article showcasing land-based salmon farming and Atlantic Sapphire in particular. “In 2021, about 500,000 salmon died at the Florida facility after a clogged drain increased turbidity that may have generated deadly gases. The company’s output that year was just 2400 tons, far short of its long-range target. Other companies have faced protests over plans to build salmon farms in Maine and California. Some communities fear the farms will deplete precious groundwater, or pollute aquifers or surface waters with their waste. In Maryland, one firm canceled plans to build a farm after scientists said its wastewater could harm endangered sturgeon.”
“For oceangoing fish confined to tanks, stress is a constant risk, especially when they are handled. “When the fish don’t want to be moved, they can really hurt themselves,” says Åsa Maria Espmark, an aquaculture researcher with Nofima, the Norwegian food research institute (as quoted by Science).
“Unsurprisingly, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is damning of Bluehouse and the 40 or so other firms developing such land-based fish farms around the world,” continued BBC News. “These include a planned barramundi farm in Arizona. "Fish farms [whether at sea, or on land] are pits of filth," says Dawn Carr, Peta's director of vegan corporate projects. "Fish are not fish fingers with fins, waiting to be cut apart, but feeling, thinking individuals capable of joy and pain, and they belong to themselves, not to humans. "Raising fish this way is wretchedly cruel and certainly unnecessary.”
Farmed salmon spend their entire lives in stressful, cramped, or polluted conditions, which leaves many of them to suffer with painful sores and infections.
“Land based salmon farming has an appalling track record of mass mortalities, infectious diseases and environmental pollution,” concluded Staniford. “If approved, this 5,000 tonne salmon farm would be larger than any in Scotland where the salmon farming industry is devastating local communities and polluting ecosystems. Do supporters of Grimsby FC really want a monster-sized salmon feedlot as their noxious neighbour? If this crazy proposal succeeds, the Mariners should rename themselves the Salmon Pharmers.”
Contact Don Staniford (Director of $camon $cotland) on 07771 541826 and via salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com
ADDENDUM:
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 7:11 AM Subject: FOI re. salmon farm proposal by AquaCultured Seafood To: <foi@nelincs.gov.uk>
Please provide information on a salmon farm proposed by AquaCultured Seafood Ltd next to Grimsby Football Club and Cleethorpes Beach.
The reference is:
DM/1079/22/SCR - Development of land at the former New Clee Sidings to provide an enclosed aquaculture facility for the cultivation and processing of salmon. Land At New Clee Sidings Salvesen Road Grimsby Docks Grimsby North East Lincolnshire
Please provide any other documents, emails, letters, diagrams, photos, environmental assessments, notes of meetings and phone calls and any other information relating to the proposal by AquaCultured Seafood Ltd.
Please include any correspondence with Seafish, the UK Government, development agencies, funding bodies or any other companies/agencies/parties in relation to setting up a salmon farm in North East Lincolnshire.
For example, how long have discussions been taking place? Who approached who in relation to the proposal which, if approved, would be the UK's largest salmon farm? Where is the £75 in investment coming from?
Further specific information is therefore requested under the relevant FOI and Environmental Information regulations.
Please provide the information electronically.
Please provide a receipt for this FOI request by $camon $cotland.
For further context on community opposition to this proposal please read:
Craig Anderson, when Chief Executive of The Scottish Salmon Company (Bakkafrost Scotland), hired a private investigator to spy on activist Corin Smith and a second unnamed person (understood to be Don Staniford):
Acting for investors and people guilty of illegal surveillance, illegal hacking and illegal money laundering may not be illegal in itself (I'm not a lawyer but your lawyers may be able to advise you in that regard). However, such behaviour is morally and ethically bankrupt.
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 4:00 PM Subject: Finance Earth support for Grimsby salmon farm? To: <blueimpact@finance.earth>
How much is Finance Earth contributing to the development of a 5,000 tonne salmon farm in Grimsby?
From: Allan Benhamou <allan@finance.earth> Date: Tue, Feb 14, 2023 at 3:47 PM Subject: RE: Finance Earth support for Grimsby salmon farm? To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>, Blue Impact <blueimpact@finance.earth>
Dear Don,
Re: Your email to Finance Earth of 13 February 2023, re: article on the FishSite about a salmon farm in Grimsby
Thank you for reaching out to us about the FishSite article.
We write to confirm the current position with relation to your questions in relation to the above.
The Blue Impact Fund is not live and therefore not making investments. We are therefore not affiliated with any investments being made in Grimsby or elsewhere.
We have written to the FishSite to request they correct their article.
We hope this fully answers your queries.
Kind regards,
Allan
Allan Benhamou
Senior Analyst
Enabling investment into conservation, climate and communities
Exclusive: Subject Access Request lifts lid on spying by the $almafia @ScotlandSalmon@CookeScotland "Don Staniford is hitting the freshwater sites now so need to be more vigilant than ever....Don Staniford came on the agenda yesterday which had to be dealt with" @tavishscottpic.twitter.com/IuItiQRH3D
Here's the Subject Access Request reply from Cooke Aquaculture earlier this week (7 February 2023):
From: Enquiries <Enquiries@cookeaqua.com> Date: Tue, Feb 7, 2023 at 5:19 PM Subject: RE: Subject Access Request from Don Staniford To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
The Subject Access Request disclosure refers to Cooke being "bitty nervous" of being pranked/exposed by Don Staniford/Greenpeace (shhh - watch this space!):
The Subject Access Request disclosure suggests that the $almafia has insiders working in the media and certainly points to media surveillance:
The Subject Access Request disclosure reveals that the $almafia pressured journalists to drop stories - and that they have adopted a PR policy of not engaging with Don Staniford:
The Subject Access Request disclosure refers to things getting "a bit lively" during a flotilla protest in 2019 which triggered a discussion by the $almafia:
In November 2021, The Ferret and Herald revealed via a Subject Access Request filed by Corin Smith that The Scottish Salmon Company (since renamed Bakkafrost) had hired a private investigator to conduct surveillance and a 'deep dive' on Corin Smith and a second unnamed activist (understood to be Don Staniford):
"Smith has shown The Ferret photographs of a GPS tracker allegedly found on the underside of his car in June 2021. Police Scotland confirmed it had received a report from Smith about the tracking device and the TSSC ‘intelligence report’ and that “enquiries remain ongoing” pic.twitter.com/B6N6QSzam8
Off to Scotland soon for more secret filming & in view of all the snooping I've decided to invest in high tech countermeasures. Shhh - please don't tell any private investigators hired by 'Scottish' salmon! pic.twitter.com/TOYiJo2daN
Salmon-spiracy continues…☠️ Before we shared shocking truth of salmon farming in Scotland. Now discovered dead fish carcasses are being used to produce electricity and gas. Action: 1. Stop buying farmed salmon 2. Contact your supermarket 3. Share this video#EndSalmonFarmingpic.twitter.com/2HzAEdO1Co
"Salmon are majestic, intelligent creatures, evolved to swim thousands of miles in their lifetime, that’s their nature. Cramming them, 100,000 at a time into tiny nets is torture, like intensive chicken farming or killer whales in the goldfish bowls of Seaworld" @DaleVincepic.twitter.com/GP6PSIncYU
"We are requesting the completion of an MOU – this is as we are naming the producers, so to try to protect ourselves from legal challenges have needed to be particularly careful for the wording of the investigation and corresponding materials."
Compassion in World Farming: "We are requesting the completion of an MOU – this is as we are naming the producers, so to try to protect ourselves from legal challenges have needed to be particularly careful for the wording of the investigation" @ScotlandSalmon@philip_ciwfpic.twitter.com/vPw2MTqLJY
"Any conversations that Compassion has had with the industry remain confidential, and I’m sure you appreciate why. I’d rather not talk about the specifics on our team’s efforts to secure a media story in the UK and push back from industry, as the situation is still unfolding and we don’t want the details in the public realm because doing so could undermine our work.”
“At Compassion...we build relationships with retailers and producers through our food business work to improve the lives of many animals, and so directly targeting these groups can impact our other strands of work. Although we do not purposefully mention the RSPCA, they certify farms covered by these producers, and as a result it’ll indirectly put pressure on them to improve/better enforce their standards for fish.”
"At Compassion, we often don’t mention the names of farms/producers in our investigation. Although we do not purposefully mention the RSPCA, they certify farms covered by these producers, and as a result it’ll indirectly put pressure on them" @ciwf@rspcaassured@RSPCA_officialpic.twitter.com/Ddv7MxIMOJ
“Agree to keep the focus, target and messaging on the Scottish government, not on the salmon producers, farmers or the RSPCA. For example, please only tag the Scottish government in social media posts and target the Scottish government in any email action when calling for them to halt the expansion of the industry. Please do not attack/criticise retailers in your country, or campaign against the producers where footage was gathered in the investigation (Mowi, etc) by targeting them on social/supporter emails/etc. This is to ensure that Compassion can build on the impact of our global campaign by establishing relationships with these producers and working with them to improve welfare standards.”
Compassion Compromised: "Agree to keep the target on @scotgov not on the salmon producers, farmers or RSPCA. Do not attack/criticise retailers or campaign against the producers where footage was gathered in the investigation (Mowi, etc)" @media_ciwf@ScotlandSalmon@rspcaassuredpic.twitter.com/0UR8RXuW7U
“The public should know that BINGOs (Big Industrial NGOs) like @ciwf are more interested in building close business relationships with salmon farming multinationals – & leaping into bed with the enemy - rather than removing this ethically bankrupt industry cage by cage” #Mowipic.twitter.com/OFa0DFv5Pg
“CIWF have now been completely cornered into doing a job for MOWI comms teams while at the same time providing a veneer of ostensible independent credibility,” wrote Corin Smith of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots in an email to CIWF in August 2022. “CWIF have been outthought, outmanoeuvred and are now out of credibility on salmon farming, certainly in Scotland and it would appear internationally too. Just another captured greenwashing NGO à la RSPCA Assured. I hope the cash was worth it.”
"CIWF have now been completely cornered into doing a job for @MowiScotlandLtd while at the same time providing a veneer of ostensible independent credibility. Just another captured greenwashing NGO à la @rspcaassured. I hope the cash was worth it" (Corin Smith of ISSF) @ciwfpic.twitter.com/pueXkOPmtr
“The public should know that BINGOs (Big Industrial NGOs) like CIWF are more interested in building close business relationships with salmon farming multinationals – and leaping into bed with the enemy - rather than removing this ethically bankrupt industry cage by cage” said Don Staniford, Director of $camon $cotland. "Shame on CIWF for cravenly kowtowing to the $almafia’s lawyers and burying damning video evidence which exposes the welfare nightmare of RSPCA Assured Scottish salmon. CIWF is turning a blind eye to endemic welfare abuse on RSPCA Assured salmon farms across Scotland."
“Shame on @ciwf for cravenly kowtowing to the $almafia’s lawyers & burying damning video evidence which exposes the welfare nightmare of @rspcaassured Scottish salmon. The only way to end cruelty & torture inside salmon farms is to close down every cage in Scotland” @philip_ciwfpic.twitter.com/NoPbRRwsAa
NEW: The “illegal” dumping of dead farmed fish on a Hebridean beauty spot has been allowed to continue despite authorities’ plans to ban the practice in March 2022, The Ferret can reveal.https://t.co/6rdiY3s8Sg
Chris Rea @tavishscott: "On your journey 'cross the wilderness from the desert to the well; You have strayed upon the motorway to hell; Well, I'm standing by a river but the water doesn't flow; It boils with every poison you can think of. Oh no this is the road to hell" pic.twitter.com/Bs442hGApV
"Well worth making sure all ensiler hatches are clear of debris & no drippy bins of morts are lying around before he arrives" advises a salmon farmer in an internal email obtained via a Subject Access Request. Top advice - we're watching! @ScotlandSalmonhttps://t.co/Pq6nzt027tpic.twitter.com/9SS7zeCxSZ
Just last week, the UK's Department of Trade & Industry and Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs visited Quarry Point salmon farm to promote Scottish salmon to Brazilian chefs. Fish Farming Expert reported (25 January 2023):
"If I were to define the Scottish market in one word, that word would be quality" says Brazilian chef visiting a salmon farm in Loch Fyne https://t.co/qhnh7WFuy9 If I were to define Scottish salmon in one word, that word would be completeanduttercrap @TavishScott@ScotlandSalmonpic.twitter.com/qAtGK1flid
Bakkafrost Scotland (known as The Scottish Salmon Company up to June 2022) has officially reported to the Scottish Government 145,250 dead salmon via 17 'Mortality Event Reports' since March 2017 at Quarry Point salmon farm - including mortalities due to Proliferative Gill Disease, Pancreas Disease and Complex Gill Disease:
Here's the ASC's website identifying Bakkafrost Scotland salmon farms currently undergoing initial audits:
Shame on the ASC and RSPCA for greenwashing Bakkafrost and other salmon farming companies spreading infectious diseases, lice infestation and welfare abuse across Scotland!
Whenever Scottish Salmon Watch has visited RSPCA Assured Bakkafrost in Loch Fyne the stench of disease-ridden Scottish salmon has been nauseating:
When Scottish Salmon Watch visited Bakkafrost's Quarry Point salmon farm in September 2020, warning signs told us to keep 15 metres away from the disease-ridden cages:
French TV (France 5) visited Bakkafrost's Quarry Point salmon farm in September 2021 - as well as Bakkafrost's West Strome salmon farm in Loch Carron and Mowi's Poll na Gille salmon farm in the Sound of Jura - with a broadcast in November 2021 on 'The Truth About Scottish Salmon':
More gruesome video footage of diseased salmon dumped by Bakkafrost, Mowi and Loch Duart at Whiteshore Cockles in North Uist has recently been leaked via FishyLeaks:
A Freedom of Information disclosure from Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) lifts the lid on the illegal dumping of millions of diseased Scottish salmon by Mowi, Bakkafrost (The Scottish Salmon Company) and Loch Duart at Whiteshore Cockles in North Uist. A 74-page PDF - one of 15 documents disclosed via FOI on 31 January 2023 - detailed complaints filed by members of the public in October 2022:
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email from Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) admitting the council's "limited ability to deal with any complaints":
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 revealed that Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) expressed serious environmental concerns in May 2022 with respect to the proposal submitted by Whiteshore Cockles to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in March 2022 to 'spread' ca. 25,000 litres of waste per week on the Island of Vallay along with three tanker loads per week of 25,000 litres of "condensate effluent" taken to the mainland "for use in an anaerobic digester" (plus waste fish oil, excess fishmeal and wastewater removed by tanker) and concerns that the information submitted by Whiteshore Cockles was 'not satisfactory':
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 revealed that in November 2021 SEPA suggested an option to extend the derogation to 31 March 2023 and referred to an intention by Whiteshore Cockles to "re-evaluate a number of the proposed emissions control measures to meet the relevant requirements in light of SEPA's feedback on the withdrawn application":
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email from the Scottish Government in November 2021 proposing an end to the derogation on 31 March 2022 but leaving it open "to be debated":
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email from Ralph Thompson of Whiteshore Cockles in March 2022 asking Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) and the Scottish Government to 'exert pressure' on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) "to process the application ASAP":
The Ferret reported earlier this month (16 January 2023) that SEPA was still processing the application by Whiteshore Cockles for a fish drier - to replace the illegal dumping of diseased Scottish salmon - with a PPC only issued by SEPA "if it is satisfied the installation will operate within relevant environmental quality standards":
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an admission by Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) in November 2021 that Whiteshore Cockles was "not in compliance" with the Consumer & Environmental Services Manager expressing the view that the derogation should not be extended beyond 31 March 2022 (certainly not to 31 March 2023):
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email to the Scottish Government in October 2022. "I was under the impression that it would only be a few months until the new plant was operational, however those planned seem to have stalled with SEPA and so this surely can't go on indefinitely?" asked Lisa Johnson, Chartered Environmental Health Officer at Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar):
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email from Charles Allan of Marine Scotland in November 2021 referring to "the challenge for the Uists/Barra is the current lack of disposal options and the difficulty of transporting the mortality off-island":
The FOI disclosure on 31 January 2023 included an email from Whiteshore Cockles in November 2021 claiming that nothing "rings alarm bells":
Another email disclosed via FOI on 31 January 2023 detailed how the Scottish Government in October 2022 were being told by Whiteshore Cockles that the fish drier could be "up and running for 1 November 2022" even though it was "still unsure if this will be agreed by SEPA":
From: Tim Langley <tim.langley@cne-siar.gov.uk> Date: Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 9:49 AM Subject: RE: FOI review request re. Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021 [Ticket#2022102127000047] To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Cc: Freedom of Information Requests <foi@cne-siar.gov.uk>
Good morning Mr Staniford
I refer to your request for review below. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.
You original request was as follows:
Please provide information on Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
Please include emails, letters, complaints and any other documentation pertaining to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
Please include any mortality data received relating to the disposal and transport of farmed salmon to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
A recent FOI disclosure this week from the Scottish Government includes emails showing that mortality data was recently reported for the first time to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar following the establishment of a task force in 2021. Please therefore include any data, reports and other information detailing the weight and number of mortalities being disposed of and transported to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
The Comhairle’s response was as follows:
On 4/10/2022 the Comhairle received a complaint regarding the smell related to the location. The complainant was advised to contact the Scottish Government.
Any other information held is exempt from release under Section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs.
Disclosure of the requested information would seriously erode the Comhairle’s ability to discharge its statutory obligations in respect of environmental health, and there would be an increased risk of future non-compliance by businesses.
The public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it
You were dissatisfied with that response. I understand that you have since been provided with a copy of the complaints in question, so I have not reviewed that element of the request. In relation to the other aspects of the request, I have concluded that, although the nature of the information requested falls within the exemption provided for in s30(c) of the Act, for the most part the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption.. I therefore overturn the original decision of the Comhairle and attach the documents falling within the scope of your request. Mobile phone numbers have been redacted. One email, relating to planning permission at Whiteshore’s site, has been withheld on the basis that it is internal to the Comhairle and I believe that the public interest in not disclosing it, thereby enabling the Comhairle’s staff to discuss matters freely between themselves for the purposes of carrying out their statutory functions, is more important than the public interest in disclosing it. Upon investigation, it is apparent that the Comhairle does not hold mortality data relating to the period from 1 November 2021.
Should you remain dissatisfied after completion of the review process you may, within 6 months, apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, to establish whether your request for information has been processed in accordance with Part 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. You may make your application online at www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal. Should you remain dissatisfied after the conclusion of an application to the Scottish Information Commissioner you have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law.
Yours sincerely
Tim Langley
Ceannard Lagha agus Riaghlachais| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar| Rathad Shanndabhaig| Steornabhagh| Eilean Leodhais| HS1 2BW
Head of Law and Governance| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar| Sandwick Road| Stornoway| Isle of Lewis| HS1 2BW
In a strange coincidence (it's almost as if our government agencies are in cahoots together), the Scottish Government also posted heavily redacted documents on Whiteshore Cockles on 31 January 2023 online here
The Scottish Government's FOI disclosure published on 31 January 2023 includes an 'article' allegedly published by the Stornoway Gazette in April 2022 from Whiteshore Cockles:
When asked about the 'article' by Whiteshore Cockles, the editor of the StornowayGazette told $camon $cotland:
From: Murray Macleod<murray.macleod@nationalworld.com> Date: Fri, Oct 21, 2022 at 9:19 AM Subject: Re: Letter from Angus MacDonald of Whiteshore Cockles published in April 2022? To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Something did appear, but it wasn't in this form and wasn't in the form of a letter. It's difficult to get pdfs for anything over three months, due to the way our system works. It will take time.
Despite repeated requests, the Stornoway Gazette has failed to provide a copy of the actual published article written by Whiteshore Cockles but their editor emailed this:
From: Murray Macleod<murray.macleod@nationalworld.com> Date: Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 4:12 PM Subject: Re: Letter from Angus MacDonald of Whiteshore Cockles published in April 2022? To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
This is what was published.
A long awaited new facility for dealing with mortalities from the salmon farming industry has reached a milestone with an application to the regulator, SEPA, for permission to begin production.
The Whiteshore Cockles facility, at Bayhead in North Uist, is crucial to fish farming throughout the Western Isles and it is envisaged the new plant will provide 15 jobs – a major employment boost for the island. At the same time, there are plans for innovative ways to use the by-products for potential benefit to the crofting community
After eight years of designing and installing a groundbreaking and innovative drier system to process the salmon mortalities into recycled by-products, the company told the Gazette this week that installation of the equipment is almost complete.
There have been years of discussions and advice involving SEPA and various consultants. Now they have submitted a Part A PPC application to SEPA to authorise a permit which will allow production to begin. When the plant is fully operative it is envisaged that the 15 staff will cover a range of trades and skills while transportation of fish from throughout the Western Isles also supports three full-time drivers and two part-time.
Whiteshore Cockles Ltd is a family owned company based in Bayhead and has been involved in the disposal of fish farm waste for 18 years. Angus Macdonald, his wife Michelle and son Fraser all work in the business which also has a construction arm.
Angus is better known as probably the biggest crofter in the Western Isles with a herd of Highland cattle which grazes on Vallay island. That background gives him a particular motivation to find ways in which the new facility can benefit the crofting community.
European legislation restricted their original method of disposal and made the company look to a more environmentally friendly recycling system which will help to ensure the long-term viability of the islands’ fish farm industry.
A multi-million pound investment has been involved and the plant will produce fish oil and fmeal from the salmon waste in an odour-controlled environment. A biomass burner has been installed which will utilise half the meal as a fuel to heat the drier system. Excess heat can also be used to run the grain dryer and provide a service to crofters.
The remaining oil and meal will be used to produce biofuel and as an addition to an Anaerobic Digester system. The company is also exploring the idea of using the meal as alow-grade agricultural fertiliser which again could be offered locally as a lower-cost alternative to crofters.
New staff have already been employed to maintain and service the machinery and once the permit is granted the company will advertise for further employees to work within the site.
The company have thanked the fish farms for their continued support and encouragement as well as Highlands and Islands Enterprise for their financial assistance and the Bayhead community for “their patience and understanding of the various issues that have arisen whilst the plans and installation of the new processing plant have been taken place during the transition period”.
NEW: The “illegal” dumping of dead farmed fish on a Hebridean beauty spot has been allowed to continue despite authorities’ plans to ban the practice in March 2022, The Ferret can reveal.https://t.co/6rdiY3s8Sg
In September 2018, Angus MacDonald of Whiteshore Cockles told the BBC 'One Show' that he would not carry on dumping diseased salmon for "much longer":
Digital Economy Minister @KateForbesMSP visited Whiteshore Cockles in North Uist earlier this week to hear how they've used digital disruption as an opportunity to diversify and thrive pic.twitter.com/nct0dhG9sw
— Scottish Government Finance and Economy (@scotgoveconomy) October 2, 2019
"The pictures show open pits with liquefied/ensiled fish morts" @scotgov "The pits are remaining uncovered for weeks with little seaweed cover, which is producing a smell locals are complaining about. Evidence of seepage from the side of the pits" https://t.co/OvxPfiOiaOpic.twitter.com/ET9hilMV1N
From: Tim Langley <tim.langley@cne-siar.gov.uk> Date: Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 9:49 AM Subject: RE: FOI review request re. Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021 [Ticket#2022102127000047] To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Cc: Freedom of Information Requests <foi@cne-siar.gov.uk>
Good morning Mr Staniford
I refer to your request for review below. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.
You original request was as follows:
Please provide information on Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
Please include emails, letters, complaints and any other documentation pertaining to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
Please include any mortality data received relating to the disposal and transport of farmed salmon to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
A recent FOI disclosure this week from the Scottish Government includes emails showing that mortality data was recently reported for the first time to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar following the establishment of a task force in 2021. Please therefore include any data, reports and other information detailing the weight and number of mortalities being disposed of and transported to Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021.
The Comhairle’s response was as follows:
On 4/10/2022 the Comhairle received a complaint regarding the smell related to the location. The complainant was advised to contact the Scottish Government.
Any other information held is exempt from release under Section 30(c) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs.
Disclosure of the requested information would seriously erode the Comhairle’s ability to discharge its statutory obligations in respect of environmental health, and there would be an increased risk of future non-compliance by businesses.
The public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it
You were dissatisfied with that response. I understand that you have since been provided with a copy of the complaints in question, so I have not reviewed that element of the request. In relation to the other aspects of the request, I have concluded that, although the nature of the information requested falls within the exemption provided for in s30(c) of the Act, for the most part the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption.. I therefore overturn the original decision of the Comhairle and attach the documents falling within the scope of your request. Mobile phone numbers have been redacted. One email, relating to planning permission at Whiteshore’s site, has been withheld on the basis that it is internal to the Comhairle and I believe that the public interest in not disclosing it, thereby enabling the Comhairle’s staff to discuss matters freely between themselves for the purposes of carrying out their statutory functions, is more important than the public interest in disclosing it. Upon investigation, it is apparent that the Comhairle does not hold mortality data relating to the period from 1 November 2021.
Should you remain dissatisfied after completion of the review process you may, within 6 months, apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS, to establish whether your request for information has been processed in accordance with Part 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. You may make your application online at www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal. Should you remain dissatisfied after the conclusion of an application to the Scottish Information Commissioner you have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law.
Yours sincerely
Tim Langley
Ceannard Lagha agus Riaghlachais| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar| Rathad Shanndabhaig| Steornabhagh| Eilean Leodhais| HS1 2BW
Head of Law and Governance| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar| Sandwick Road| Stornoway| Isle of Lewis| HS1 2BW
From: Don Staniford<salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> Date: Fri, Nov 18, 2022 at 12:23 PM Subject: FOI review request re. Whiteshore Cockles since 1 November 2021 [Ticket#2022102127000047] To: Tim Langley <tim.langley@cne-siar.gov.uk> Cc: CNES FOI Team <foi@cne-siar.gov.uk>
Please consider this a formal request for a FOI review.
Suffice to say that $camon $cotland disagrees with the CNES decision to refuse the FOI.
Could you please provide a copy of the complaint regarding the smell at Whiteshores and any correspondence?
In terms of the other information denied please review the refusal.
$camon $cotland believes that there is a public interest in disclosing the information - and this overrides CNES's desire to keep a lid on the information.
Please provide a receipt for this FOI review request.
