M&S deny sourcing from RSPCA Assured Loch Creran but refuse to name the Scottish Sea ‘Select Farms’ they source from!

 

 

$camon $cotland has repeatedly asked M&S to name which 'Select Farms' they source their RSPCA Assured salmon from but they have so far refused to provide a list (although it is public knowledge that M&S source exclusively from Norskott Havbruk/Scottish Sea Farms).   RSPCA Assured was asked yesterday (31 October 2022) if certification had been rescineded for the Loch Creran salmon farm operated by Scottish Sea Farms:

 

From: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>
Date: Mon, Oct 31, 2022 at 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Loch Creran – did RSPCA Assured rescind certification?
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Cc: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>, <executive@rspca.org.uk>, M&S Executive Office <chairman@customersupport.marksandspencer.com>, <chairman@marks-and-spencer.com>
Dear Mr Staniford,

 
Thank you for your message. I can confirm that Loch Creran is an RSPCA Assured certified site, however, I cannot provide information regarding their supply chain. I recommend contacting them or the retailer directly.
 
Kind regards, 
 
Xenia
 
 
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 31, 2022 at 7:54 AM
Subject: Loch Creran – did RSPCA Assured rescind certification?
To: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>, <executive@rspca.org.uk>
Cc: M&S Executive Office <chairman@customersupport.marksandspencer.com>, <chairman@marks-and-spencer.com>
 
Has RSPCA Assured rescinded certification for the Loch Creran salmon farm?
 
 

 
 

 

Clarification would be much appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, $camon $cotland

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>
Date: Thu, Jul 14, 2022 at 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: Welfare Complaint vs Scottish Sea Farms in Sound of Mull & Loch Creran
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>

Hi Don,

 
Yes, all four sites are RSPCA Assured certified.
 
Many thanks
 
RSPCA Assured

On Wed, 13 Jul 2022 at 12:00, Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks – if you need any other information please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
I saw a Freedom Food logo on the front gates of Fishnish and Scallastle Bay land bases (but Fiunary and Creran do not have land bases). 
 
Are all four sites accredited via RSPCA Assured?
 
Best fishes,
 
Don

On Wed, Jul 13, 2022 at 11:51 AM Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk> wrote:
 
Dear Don

 
Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.
 
We are now investigating this matter.
 
Thank you
RSPCA Assured
 

On Mon, 11 Jul 2022 at 08:00, Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com> wrote:

Please consider this a formal complaint against Scottish Sea Farms (Norskott Havbruk) for breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 with respect to ‘Unnecessary Suffering’ (Section 19) and ‘Ensuring Welfare of Animals’ (Section 24). Video evidence shot inside four salmon farms in the Sound of Mull (Fiunary, Fishnish B and Scallastle Bay) and in Loch Creran (Creran A) between 3rd and 8th July 2022 presents damning evidence of welfare abuse, lice infestation, infectious diseases and mass mortalities:

 

 

 

 

 

The RSPCA has refused to provide a list of all salmon farms certified as 'welfare friendly' via RSPCA Assured but it is known that 100% of sites operated by Scottish Sea Farms are certified via RSPCA Assured (as detailed on their web-site) and all salmon farming companies operating in Scotland except Organic Sea Harvest are certified via RSPCA Assured (as reported by Fish Farming Expert) – leading to the suggestion that ca. 99% of salmon farming production in Scotland is certified via RSPCA Assured. 

 

From: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>
Date: Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 2:02 PM
Subject: Re: Open Letter to the RSPCA & ASC – please stop certifying Scottish salmon as "responsibly farmed"!
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
 
Hi Don,

Thanks for getting in touch, we will take a look at your letter.

As explained previously, we are unable to publish a list of all of our members but most salmon companies state which assurance schemes they are part of on their websites.

Kind regards

Emily
RSPCA Assured

 

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 14, 2022 at 2:39 PM
Subject: Re: Open Letter to the RSPCA & ASC – please stop certifying Scottish salmon as "responsibly farmed"!
To: Hello <hello@rspcaassured.org.uk>
 
Emily,
 
Thanks – so if Mowi, for example, states that they as a company are RSPCA Assured does this mean that ALL their salmon farms are RSPCA Assured?
 
 
"All Scottish salmon farmers are now signed up to the RSPCA Assured accreditation scheme apart from Organic Sea Harvest, which adheres to organic standards through the Soil Association"
 
So does that mean that all Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, Cooke, The Scottish Salmon Company/Bakkafrost, Loch Duart, Wester Ross and Kames have all their salmon farms certified via RSPCA Assured?
 
Cooke, for example, is certified via the Soil Association but not all of their salmon farms are certified as organic. 
 
And Mowi and Scottish Sea Farms are certified via the ASC but not all of their farms. 
 
What you seem to be suggesting is that RSPCA Assured certifies a company and by extension therefore certifies all of their salmon farms.  Is that correct?
 
Thanks,
 
Don

 

 

 

Fergal Sharkey's Tweet on 30 October 2022 prompted M&S to deny sourcing from the disease-ridden RSPCA Assured salmon farm in Loch Creran:

 

 

 

 

$camon $cotland Tweeted in reply (31 October 2022):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$camon $cotland reported (29 October 2022):

 

 

 

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #8 M&S SSF

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #13 M&S Simply Food

 

 

 

In July 2022, $camon $cotland covertly filmed inside RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms in Loch Creran and in the Sound of Mull (Scallastle Bay, Fiunary and Fishnish):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In February 2022, M&S told $camon $cotland:

 

From: M&S Executive Office <chairman@customersupport.marksandspencer.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 14, 2022 at 2:06 PM
Subject: M&S Ref: 1679187
To: <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
 

Dear Mr Staniford,

 

Thank you very much for contacting Steven Mclean, Steve Rowe and our Food Press Relation Office. I work in our Executive Team and your email has been sent to me to respond to.

 

I can understand your concerns and I would like to assure you that we are proud of our strong values and the work we do with our farmers. We also care about where our food comes from, as do our customers.

We only source from a handful of dedicated farms that are exclusive to our business—meaning we know and trust our Select Farmers to meet our high standards. We meet the widely recognised RSPCA Assured standards across all of our Select Farms producing salmon, ensuring the best growing conditions so the fish are happier and healthier as a result.

We have worked with Scottish Sea Farms to adopt one of the lowest stocking densities for our salmon at just 1.5% fish to 98.5% water. It makes a huge difference to the welfare of the fish, making them happier and reducing stress.

 

To ensure their is consistency, we audit our Select Farms at least once per year and make it easy for our customers to find out detailed information on our farms such as location and farming methods by using our interactive seafood map.

 

Referring to the images and report that you have referred to in your email, I want to assure you that we were very concerned by some of the footage and allegations of poor welfare and immediately suspended the farm whilst we urgently investigated.

Following our detailed investigation, which included a rigorous in-person inspection by a specially-trained RSPCA farm livestock officer, we found no evidence to support the allegations made. 

 

Unfortunately, it is a reality of farming any animal – and also pet ownership – that from time to time there can be disease outbreaks and other welfare challenges. What is most important is that the person responsible acts swiftly to address them.  We are fully satisfied that the issues identified in the video were being swiftly and responsibly addressed by the farm at the time, in accordance with the RSPCA’s welfare standards. Therefore, the suspension was lifted.

 

I hope this reassures you that any allegations of animal welfare issues, or breaches of the RSPCA Assured membership agreement, are taken very seriously and always thoroughly investigated. But, thankfully, welfare concerns on RSPCA Assured certified farms are extremely rare, and many millions more farm animals are having a better life thanks to the work of the charity.

 

Thank you very much for contacting us with your concerns.

Kind regards

Lindsay Poole
Executive Team
Your M&S Customer Service

 

 

 

 

 

Read more via:

Scottish Scamon: Piscine Reovirus, skin lesions/boils & "hanging" salmon in Loch Creran (sold by M&S as "responsibly sourced" & certified via RSPCA Assured)!

Salmon Farming is Criminal – breaches of welfare laws by RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms!

The Times: "Scottish salmon supplier to M&S cleared over welfare claims"

Video: Norskott Havbruk (Scottish Sea Farms) is a Sham, Scam & Consumer Con – Stop Salmon Farming Now!

The Times: "RSPCA investigates Scottish salmon supplier to M&S over lice accusations"

RSPCA Assured "now investigating" welfare abuse at Scottish Sea Farms in the Sound of Mull & Loch Creran!

Video Exclusive: Secret Filming Exposes Horrific Welfare Abuse Inside RSPCA Assured Scottish Salmon Farms

Photos of Welfare Abuse at RSPCA Assured Scottish Sea Farms

M&S Irresponsibly Sourced Scottish Salmon (as greenwashed by RSPCA Assured)!

Norskott Havbruk (Scottish Sea Farms) Report "Biological Challenges" (i.e. Deaths & Disease)!

Anyone for M&S’s Virus-Laden Scottish Salmon (don’t worry, it’s “responsibly sourced” & RSPCA Assured)?!

It’s Official: Infectious Salmon Anaemia Back to Haunt Scottish Salmon – reported to the World Organization for Animal Health for the first time since 2012!

ASC-Certified/Audited Mass Mortalities Pile Up at Lousy Mowi & Scottish Sea Farms!

Dead in the Water – Scottish Salmon's Mortality Mountain Piles Ever Higher in 2021!

ISA hits Scottish Sea Farms owner SalMar in Norway – how many hidden cases are lurking on salmon farms in Scotland?

Bullshit Called on M&S's "Responsibly Sourced" Scottish Salmon!

Ecohustler sticks it to "responsibly sourced" Scottish salmon sold by M&S!

 

 

 

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