Awards Alert: Nominations Open for the 'Scamons'!

Don’t miss your chance to put forward a supplier that has gone above and beyond. Entries for the Aquaculture Awards close 28 Feb!

Enter > https://t.co/qndajR5IqZ

Aquaculture Supplier of the Year is sponsored by @stingraynews #AquacultureAwards #aquaculture pic.twitter.com/By3PcXyji6

— Aquaculture UK (@aquacultureuk) February 16, 2022

Awards season is in full swing and the 'Scottish' salmon farming industry has opened up entries for self-congratulatory gongs to be presented at an awards dinner at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore on 4 May (Scamon Scotland will be organising a protest outside the event – watch this space for details).

Award Alert – nominations for 'The Scamons' (to be held in Aviemore on May 4th) were launched today. Nominate your favourite greenwashers & toxic polluters in categories such as "Most Unsustainable Supermarket', 'Animal Welfare Abuse' & 'Rising Bullshit'! https://t.co/Fz4IxIaVbA pic.twitter.com/e3Xv8cjwap

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 21, 2022

Fish Farming Expert reported (4 February 2022):

Scamon Scotland today (21 February 2022) unveiled the award categories for the 'Scamons' which will take place on the pavement outside the Aquaculture Awards 2022 on May 4 (think of the Razzies vs the Oscars).

Gerald Ratner and Del Boy Trotter have been invited to present awards at the lavish ceremony in Aviemore.

The prestigious awards – made from 100% bullshit – include 'Worst Salmon Farming Company of the Year' (expected to be a bloody fight between Norwegian giant Mowi and Faroese/Norwegian-owned The Scottish Salmon Company), 'Most Unsustainable Supermarket of the Year' (Sainsbury's, Tesco and M&S are all in the running but Ocado is the dark horse following a recent complaint to Trading Standards), the 'Environmental Impact Award' (Scottish Sea Farms, Cooke Aquaculture, Loch Duart and Kames could fight this one out but 'Organic' Sea Harvest could surprise), 'Greenwasher of the Year' (RSPCA Assured, the Soil Association and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council have this category covered), the 'Animal Welfare Abuse Award' (The Scottish Salmon Company and Mowi look set to go lice-infested head to lice-infested head) and the 'Rising Bullshit Award' (Ben Hadfield, Ian Roberts, Ally Dingwall, Ronnie Soutar and Anne Anderson have put in some impressive performances over over the course of the year but Tavish Scott is odds-on favourite with Betfair after his 'Pack of Lies' performance on BBC Scotland's 'The Nine' in April and his 'Spygate' appearance on Channel 4 News in December):

"You can put lipstick on a Scottish salmon but it's still a pharmed salmon," said Don Staniford, Director of Scamon Scotland (formerly Scottish Salmon Watch). "All the greenwashing in the world – whether it is via RSPCA Assured, the Soil Association or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council – cannot alter the view that farming salmon is inherently unsustainable and an irresponsible choice for consumers. Salmon Scotland seem to abide by the maxim: 'you can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter'. The 'Scamons' will showcase so-called 'Scottish' salmon – 99% of which is controlled by foreign companies - as a scam, sham and a consumer con. We're calling on the public and whistleblowers working inside the toxic industry to submit nominations and any supportive evidence to back up their choices. With all the bullshit being spewed by Mowi, The Scottish Salmon Company, Scottish Sea Farms, Grieg Seafood, Loch Duart, Kames, 'Organic' Sea Harvest and Cooke Aquaculture it's going to be one hell of a contest."

Sponsors of the Aquaculture Awards include MSD Animal Health (who sells the shellfish-killing chemical Emamectin benzoate), Solvtrans (an operator of well boats which transports disease-ridden salmon), M&S (who sells irresponsibly sourced Scottish salmon), Hendrix Genetics (who reported Infectious Salmon Anaemia at their Ormsary Hatchery in Argyll in November 2021) and Cargill (dubbed 'the Worst Company in the World'):

Scamon Scotland is particularly looking forward to the 'Environmental Impact Award' sponsored by Cargill:

And the 'Animal Welfare Award' sponsored by MSD Animal Health:

Scamon Scotland has invited environmental and welfare groups to sponsor particular awards.

[NEW INVESTIGATION] Salmon are dying every day on Scottish salmon factory farms because of disease and parasites.

Please take action today and sign our open letter to the Scottish Government. ⬇️ #ScottishSalmonScandal https://t.co/F3uM2eKtOn

— Compassion in World Farming (@ciwf) March 23, 2021

Scamon Scotland has fore-warned the organisers of the Aquaculture Awards 2022 and will liaise with police before the peaceful protest on May 4th. Here's an email sent to Aquaculture UK last week:

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 16, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Subject: Protest outside Aquaculture UK on May 4
To: <carvonio@divcom.co.uk>, <ktyler@divcom.co.uk>, <rrandall@divcom.co.uk>, <info@aquacultureuk.com>

Just a quick heads up that Scamon Scotland will be organising a protest outside the Aquaculture Awards 2022 in Aviemore on May 4.

There's a blog and video online now via Kick-Ass New Campaign: "Mowi is Madness, Mowi is Badness" (Save the Date – May 4th)

I just Tweeted: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1494027038138810370

I wish to reassure you way in advance that this will be a peaceful protest and I will liaise with the Police and the MacDonald Aviemore Resort. If you have any concerns nearer the time I can be contacted on 07771 541826.

I co-ordinated a protest in Edinburgh back in 2017 outside an SSPO (Salmon Scotland) industry event – it was also in a MacDonald hotel near the Scottish Parliament and we liaised with the hotel manager. Here's photos to show the peaceful and fun nature of the protest: https://donstaniford.com/photos-of-scottish-salmon-protest-in-edinburgh-/

I certainly won't be dumping dead farmed or throwing blood at delegates. I've seen Deacon Blue several times in concert and would not want to fish off Dougie Vipond.

We may 'hand out' alternative awards – think of The Razzies – and invite the award winners to collect their 'Scamons'. But the protest will not interfere with your event.

Subject to consultation with the Police we may just stand outside the resort gate:

I would be happy to meet on May 3 to run through any plans.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Best fishes,

Don Staniford

Director, Scamon Scotland: https://scottishscamon.co.uk/

Here's a reply:

From: Carsten Holm <cholm@divcom.co.uk>
Date: Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 9:26 AM
Subject: Protest outside Aquaculture UK on May 4
To: salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Cc: Cheri Arvonio <CArvonio@divcom.co.uk>, David Maguire <dmaguire@divcom.co.uk>, Katie Tyler <KTyler@divcom.co.uk>, Richard Randall <rrandall@divcom.co.uk>

Dear Don

Thank you for your email and for letting us know about your planned protest outside Aquaculture UK in Aviemore in May.

Agriculture, farming, aquaculture and other means of feeding the world are all highly sensitive issues on which many people have strong opinions, and I very much respect your and your organisation’s right to your views and your right to peacefully demonstrate to express them.

Similarly, I can see from your email that you respect that others may hold different views, but it is important that we are able to respectfully debate our differences to reach a better understanding of each other’s views. As recent events have shown all too clearly, the peaceful route is always the best, and I am glad to see that you agree with that principle. I will therefore ask that you respect the exhibitors and visitors right to participate at their industry event and that you avoid interfering directly with the event or those taking part in it, which I believe is your intention.

I also appreciate you informing the MacDonald Hotel and the local police of your intentions.

Best regards

Carsten

Carsten Holm | Managing Director
+44 (0)1273 645114 | cholm@divcom.co.uk

Diversified Communications UK
Brighton office: The Brinell Building, 30 Station Road, Brighton, BN1 4RB
T: +44 (0)1273 645110
www.divcom.co.uk

Nominations are now open for the 'Free-Range Farmed Salmon Bullshit' award in honour of former boss @ScotlandSalmon Julie Hesketh-Laird (now deputy CEO @FSScot). Will @rspcaassured & @ScottishSPCA sponsor this year's prestigious prize? @ciwf @onekindtweet @PETAUK @Animallawyersuk https://t.co/Yhjw6gc8Mj pic.twitter.com/nYq9NlHzPC

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 21, 2022

The Scamons are back after a nine-year hiatus.

Back in 2013, Grieg Seafood carried off the coveted 'Scam of the Year' award at the inaugral Scamons held in Bergen in Norway for their Skuna Bay "craft-raised" salmon and the "Lord Voldemort" award for killing sea lions and seals in Canada and Scotland.

Former salmon farmer Donal Maguire, who was promoting a 15,000 tonne "organic" salmon farm in Galway Bay on behalf of the Irish Government, hid under his coat and then put up his hand to block a photo being taken when presented with his "Best Supporting Government Agency" award.

Cermaq CEO Jon Hindar, winner of the "When In a Hole Keep Digging" award, at least smiled for the camera and said "My kids would love this!" when he was presented with his Scamon whilst checking out of his room at the Radisson Hotel.

Marine Harvest owner John Fredriksen sadly failed to show up to collect his "Super-Size Salmon Scamon" award (Marine Harvest was renamed Mowi in 2019 due to what their CEO admitted was "negative consumer perception" in the name Marine Harvest).

And Marine Harvest's CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog ducked out of a side door as soon as his financial presentation had finished leaving his "Marine Harmfest" award gathering sea lice and infectious diseases in the conference hall.