Toxic Salmon Corrodes Soil Association’s ‘Organic’ Principles

 

 

The latest version of the Soil Association's 'organic' salmon standards (published in February 2021) shamefully permits the use of the lobster-killing chemical Deltamethrin:

 

Soil Association salmon standards Feb 2021 #1

 

Soil Association salmon standards Feb 2021 #2 chemicals

 

Fish Farmer reported in January 2021:

 

Fish Farmer Jan 2021 #1

Fish Farmer Jan 2021 #2

 

 

'Organic' Sea Harvest reported in January 2021:

 

OSH Jan 2021 SA

 

 

 

Yet whilst the Soil Association's aquaculture standards ban the use of toxic organophosphates such as Azamethiphos and toxic avermectins such as Emamectin benzoate it authorises the use of hazardous permethrins such as Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin.   Here's 'Case Information' published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate relating to an inspection of 'Organic' Sea Harvest's Invertote salmon farm in November 2020:

 

FHI Nov 2020 Invertote

 

 

 

 

And here's another inspection by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate in August 2020 which reports the use of "AMX [Alphamax] tarpaulins treatments carried out on all cages" in July 2020 with the statement that "the site only intends to treat with Alphamax" even though 'Organic' Sea Harvest has discharge consents to use Excis (Cypermethrin), Slice (Emamectin benzoate) and Salmosan (Azamethiphos) in addition to Alphamax (Deltamethrin):

 

FHI Aug 2020 Invertote #1

FHI Aug 2020 Invertote #2

FHI Aug 2020 Invertote #3

 

 

 

Hidden away in Scotland's Aquaculture database (it does not come up in a search for 'Invertote' or 'Organic Sea Harvest' but appears in CSV Export data) is reported use of 30 grams of Deltamethrin by 'Organic' Sea Harvest at Invertote salmon farm in August 2020:

 

Deltamethrin blog #28 Invertote

 

 

In 'Organic' Sea Harvest's Environmental Statement dated November 2017 reference was made to the use of chemicals being permitted by the Soil Association but it did not specifiy the use of Deltamethrin (Alphamax).

 

OSH ES #1

 

OSH ES #2

 

 

Alphamax is the trade name for the toxic chemical Deltamethrin – shown by peer-reviewed science to be lethal to shellfish and labelled by the chemical manufacturer as a 'Marine Pollutant'.    An article – "The impact of anti-sea lice pesticides, azamethiphos and deltamethrin, on European lobster (Homarus gammarus) larvae in the Norwegian marine environment" – published in scientific journal Environmental Pollution in September 2020 reported:

 

Parsons paper 2020 #1

 

Parsons paper 2020 #3

 

Parsons paper 2020 #3

 

The Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, reported in September 2020:

 

Deltamethrin IMR 2020 #1

 

Deltamethrin IMR 2020 #2

 

 

 

 

 

Intrafish reported in October 2020:

 

Deltamethrin IMR 2020 #3 Intrafish

Deltamethrin IMR 2020 #4 Intrafish

 

 

Another scientific paper – "Environmental Risks of Synthetic Pyrethroids Used by the Salmon Industry in Chile" – published in January 2020 in Pyrethroid Insecticides concluded that "the application of pyrethroids [Deltamethrin & Cypermethrin] may trigger some unintended risks to nontarget organisms, particularly copepods".

 

Deltamethrin paper Chile 2020

 

Another scientific paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science in January 2021 concluded that "pesticides in marine waters have the potential for altering local primary production fluxes and therefore can impact biological ecosystem productivity".

 

Chile paper 2021 #1

 

Chile paper 2021 #2

 

 

A scientific paper published in 2014 reported on the toxicity of Deltamethrin to non-target crustaceans:

 

Deltamethrin paper Canada 2014 #1

Deltamethrin paper Canada 2014 #2

 

 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported in 2008:

 

Deltamethrin SEPA 2008 #2

 

Deltamethrin SEPA 2008 #1

 

 

The award-winning journalist Rob Edwards reported in 2009:

 

Deltamethrin Hadfield SEPA #1

Deltamethrin Hadfield SEPA #2

 

 

A scientific paper published in Nature in 2018 reported lice resistance to Deltamethrin (i.e. the drugs don't work any more):

 

Deltamethrin resistance 2018

 

Deltamethrin resistance 2018 #2

 

 

For a review of the toxic chemicals used on salmon farms – including Deltamethrin, Cypermethrin, Azamethiphos and Emamectin benzoate – read 'Silent Spring of the Sea' and Media Backgrounder: Chemically Embalmed Scottish Salmon.

 

Betty Ford cartoon

 

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (Royal Patron of the Soil Association) knows all too well the environmental impacts of toxic chemicals and has campaigned tirelessly for decades against their use in agriculture on land.   Why His Royal Highness would endorse the use of the toxic chemical Deltamethrin in the sea on 'organic' salmon farms – remember that Deltamethrin is labelled by the chemical manufactuers as a 'marine pollutant' and "very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects" – is a case study in how the Soil Association's principles have been corroded by corporate interests.

 

 

 

 

Lobster cartoon

 

 

 

 

Back in 2006, BBC Newsnight exposed the toxic politics of the Soil Association's certification of farmed salmon as 'organic'. 

 

BBC Newsnight 2006 #1

 

"Salmon farming in cages has nothing at all to do with organic principles," said Lawrence Woodward, former chairman of the Soil Association's standards committee.  "It is very regrettable that the Soil Association has gone down this line of trying to certify something that is so distant from the principles."

 

BBC Newsnight 2006 #2

 

 

Writing in The Observer in 2006, award-winning food writer Joanna Blythman lambasted 'organic' salmon.

 

Blythman 2006 #1

Blythman 2006 #2

 

Blythman 2006 #3

 

In 2018, Salmon & Trout Conservation weighed in against 'organic' salmon.

 

STA 2011 #1

 

STA 2011 #2

 

 

The Scottish Salmon Think Tank reported in 2017:

 

SST #1

SST #2

SST #3

SST #4

 

 

And here's a blast from the past – an article published in 2001 in The Organic Standard – which is just as relevant in 2020 as it was 20 years ago:

 

Organic Standard July 2001 #1 Organic Standard July 2001 #2

Download as a PDF online here

 

 

 

 

 

After writing this blog I have been bombarded with ads on Facebook asking me to join the Soil Association:

 

Soil Association ad on Facebook 21 March 2021

 

Scottish Salmon Watch feel that it is deceptive advertising and misleading marketing to ask people to join the Soil Association with an advert featuring a sign with the words "No Pesticides Here" when Soil Association-certified salmon farms are permitted to use the hazardous pesticides Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin.  Hence we filed a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (21 March 2021):

 

ASA complaint 21 March 2021 #1

ASA complaint 21 March 2021 #2

 

 

Here's the ASA's receipt for Scottish Salmon Watch's complaint against the Soil Association:

 

ASA complaint 21 March 2021 #3

 

ASA complaint 21 March 2021 #4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish Farming Expert reported (25 March 2021):

 

Fish Farming Expert 25 March 2021

 

 

Read more via:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Jan 2020 #41

 

 

 

 

 

Addendum:

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 22, 2021 at 7:49 AM
Subject: Addendum: Is the carcinogenic chemical Formalin & toxic Hydrogen peroxide permitted by the Soil Association?
To: <contact@soilassociation.org>, <cert@soilassociation.org>, <lbowles@soilassociation.org>, Helen Browning <hbrowning@soilassociation.org>, <mdawson@soilassociation.org>, <jcashmore@soilassociation.org>, <JLewis@soilassociation.org>, <lpharoah@soilassociation.org>, <abehan@soilassociation.org>, <jdingwall@soilassociation.org>, <acartwright@soilassociation.org>
 
In addition, does the Soil Association's aquaculture standards permit the use of the toxic chemical Hydrogen peroxide?
 
A scientific paper – "Gill damage and delayed mortality of Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) after short time exposure to anti-parasitic veterinary medicine containing hydrogen peroxide" – published in Ecotoxicology & Environmental Safety in September 2019 reported that:
 
"Results from dispersion modelling (literature data) together with the current experiments indicate that treatment water with toxic concentrations of H2O2 (1.5 mg/L) could reach P. borealis living more than 1 km from a treated salmon farm"
 
Another scientific paper – "Acute toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide, used for salmon lice treatment, on the survival of polychaetes Capitella sp. and Ophryotrocha spp" – published in Aquaculture Environmental Interactions in August 2018 detailed further toxic impacts.  
 
 
Are Mowi and Organic Sea Harvest – certified by the Soil Association as 'organic' – using Hydrogen Peroxide?
 
 
Secondly, does the Soil Association permit the use of the carcinogenic chemical Formalin which is used twice per week in the Landcatch hatchery at Ormsary which supplied Organic Sea Harvest with smolts (via imported ova) in 2020?
 

The Fish Health Inspectorate reported in January 2020 that the Landcatch Ormsary Hatchery uses the carcinogenic chemical Formalin "twice a week" as well as using the antibiotic Florocol and Cress (Bronopol).

Jan 2020 FHI #4 Ormsary formalin

image.png

 
 
 
 
Information on the Soil Association's policy on Deltamethrin, Imidacloprid, Hydrogen peroxide, Formalin and antiobiotic use would therefore be much appreciated.
 
It seems that toxic salmon farming is corroding the Soil Association's 'organic' principles.
 
Best fishes,
 
Don
 
 
 
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 21, 2021 at 8:36 PM
Subject: Question: Why is Deltamethrin approved for use via the Soil Association's aquaculture standards?
To: <contact@soilassociation.org>, <cert@soilassociation.org>, <lbowles@soilassociation.org>, Helen Browning <hbrowning@soilassociation.org>, <mdawson@soilassociation.org>, <jcashmore@soilassociation.org>, <JLewis@soilassociation.org>, <lpharoah@soilassociation.org>, <abehan@soilassociation.org>, <jdingwall@soilassociation.org>
 
Why is the toxic synthetic pyrethroid Deltamethrin approved for use in 'organic' salmon farms certified by the Soil Association?
 
Your aquaculture standards – the new updated version was published recently on 12 February 2021 – specifically prohibit the use of organophosphates such as Azamethiphos and avermectins such as Emamectin benzoate:
 
image.png
 
 
But why are synthetic pyrethroids such as Deltamethrin and Cypermethrin not also prohibited?
 
The ban on Azamethiphos, for example, is welcome but recent peer-reviewed science published in the journal Environmental Pollution in September 2020 reports that Deltamethrin is even more toxic and lethal to lobsters: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120302451
 
image.png

 
The Institute of Marine Research in Bergen reported in September 2020 via: "New lab experiments show anti-sea lice agent deltamethrin is highly toxic to lobster larvae":
 
“Azamethiphos only spreads a relatively small distance around the farms. In the simulations, a plume of the dose that is dangerous to lobster larvae could drift up to 5 kilometres, but it rarely travelled more than 1 kilometre. Deltamethrin is worse. Dangerous doses typically drifted between 5 and 15 kilometres. In rare cases, the anti-sea lice agent could travel 20-30 kilometres before it was sufficiently diluted to pose no risk to lobster larvae”
 
There's more background and links to scientific papers via a blog: Toxic Salmon Corrodes Soil Association's 'Organic' Principles
 
Scottish Salmon Watch filed a complaint earlier today with the Advertising Standards Authority against the Soil Association: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1373629361501392899
 
image.png
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch sincerely hopes that the Soil Association can re-write your aquaculture standards to reflect the new scientific research on the acute toxicity of Deltamethrin.
 
We also hope the Soil Association explicitly prohibits the use of the toxic neonicotinoid Imidacloprid which Mowi (certified by the Soil Association as 'organic' in Loch Ewe and in Loch Leven) wants to use on salmon farms in Scotland. Details via: "Nasty Neonicotinoid Plagues Salmon Farming in 2021"
 
You may have read the Editorial by Professor Dave Goulson of the University of Sussex in the August 2020 issue of British Wildlife: "Neonics in Salmon Farming – Alarm Bells Are Ringing"
 
 
Best fishes,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

 

 

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 21, 2021 at 4:55 PM
Subject: Query re. Deltamethrin use by Organic Sea Harvest at Invertote
To: Media <publicrelations@sepa.org.uk>
Cc: Pollard, Peter <peter.pollard@sepa.org.uk>, Ahearn, Terry <terry.ahearn@sepa.org.uk>, Sinclair, Douglas <douglas.sinclair@sepa.org.uk>
 
Just a quick query re. Organic Sea Harvest and their salmon farm at Invertote.
 
When you search via Scotland's Aquaculture there are no records listed: http://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/data/fish_farms_monthly_biomass_and_treatment_reports.aspx
 
image.png
 
 
One Organic Sea Harvest salmon farm is listed at Culnacnoc:
 
image.png

 
However, FHI Case Information published by the Scottish Government in August and November 2020 details the use of Deltamethrin (Alphamax) "treatments" (i.e. more than one) at Organic Sea Harvest's Invertote salmon farm in July/August 2020:
 
image.png
 
image.png
 
 
 
 
 
image.png

 
A quick answer to why Organic Sea Harvest's Invertote salmon farm does not appear in the database would be much appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
 
 
 
 
 

From: Ian Ayling <iayling@soilassociation.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2021 at 9:05 AM
Subject: Your enquiry
To: salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>

Hello

You raised a question recently about the use of Deltamethrin in salmon farms certified by the Soil Association

We have explored this to give you a full answer

The Soil Association is committed to securing a world with good health, in balance with nature and a safe climate restored for all

We recognise the concerns of some to the practice of faming salmon but believe it is better to make things as right as possible where these practices exist

Parasite treatments, including deltamethrin, are permitted in the organic standards under exceptional circumstances when other preventative actions have failed and there are no other treatment options. They are not to be used on a consistent basis and we set limits on usage. Sites are required to update their management plans to demonstrate how they will rely on preventative measure of disease control. 

We have reviewed the usage of Deltamethrin in the last year and it was used on 2 occasions across the sites we certify. The vast majority of the farms we licence did not use Deltamethrin.

We recognise the potential harm from the usage of any medicines – this is not unique to aquaculture. We are aware and equally concerned about the potential impact on lobsters and other crustaceans

We will continue to drive for improving our certification standards and the equivalent standards of our European colleagues.

Thank you for reaching out to us with your question

Soil Association team

 

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2021 at 9:58 AM
Subject: Re: Your enquiry
To: Ian Ayling <iayling@soilassociation.org>
Cc: Helen Browning <hbrowning@soilassociation.org>, <cert@soilassociation.org>, <contact@soilassociation.org>
 
Ian,
 
Sorry – but your reply simply does not wash.
 
You say "the vast majority of the farms we licence did not use Deltamethrin" but if 2 salmon farms certified by the Soil Association did use the lobster-killing Deltamethrin then how many did not?
 
According to the latest Scottish Government fish farm production survey for 2019 (published in October 2020) there were only 4 salmon farms certified as 'organic' – so that would make 50% of salmon farms certified as 'organic' using the toxic lobster-killing chemical Deltamethrin:
 
image.png
 
Could you please clarify your "vast majority" claim because, unless the Soil Association has very recently opened the floodgates to the certification of salmon farms in Scotland, it seems that your statement is erroneous?
 
Finally, to reiterate,how can the Soil Association still permit the use of Deltamethrin – shown by peer-reviewed science to kill lobster larvae up to 30km away from salmon farms – when your salmon standards prohibit the use of Emamectin benzoate and Azamethiphos?
 
It is patently incorrect to state that the Soil Association is "equally concerned about the potential impact on lobsters and other crustaceans" when you still permit the use of Deltamethrin!
 
If the Soil Association cared about lobsters – and other shellfish – then it would immediately ban the use of Deltamethrin. 
 
Best fishes,
 
Don
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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