Complaint re. 'Wild' Shetland Salmon Filed with Trading Standards in East Lothian

Complaint re. 'Wild' Shetland Salmon Filed with Trading Standards in East Lothian https://t.co/8g6db0ZSag
Not even Del Boy of Trotters Independent Trading would dare to pull a salmon scam like Belhaven Smokehouse! @Belhavenfood @socotss @ELCouncil @elcourier #ScottishScamon pic.twitter.com/V0b35zJJsQ

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 29, 2021

Fresh from a victory against Rick Stein – who was caught misleading shoppers by Cornwall Trading Standards – Scottish Salmon Watch has filed a complaint against Belhaven Smokehouse in East Lothian for misleading marketing and deceptive advertising regarding their 'quality salmon' sourced "from the wild waters of Shetland".

"Belhaven Smokehouse, just like Rick Stein, is guilty of hoodwinking consumers as to the provenance of salmon," said Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch. "Marketing factory farmed salmon as 'swimming in wild waters' and 'from the wild waters of Shetland' is a sham, scam and a consumer con. Shetland has no wild salmon river runs and it is understood to be a criminal offence to catch wild salmon in Shetland. The public are being duped into thinking this is a wild salmon product when it is undoubtedly sourced from a factory salmon farm. Salmon farming in Shetland, as well as the rest of Scotland, is a disease-ridden welfare nightmare. No wonder Belhaven Smokehouse is reluctant to be honest with their online and farm shop customers."

"Is it Scottish?" asks Belhaven Smokery's web-site. "Almost three-quarters of salmon sold in the UK comes from Norway. Norwegian salmon is typically 10% to 15% cheaper than Scottish Salmon, however it takes longer for the fish to arrive in the UK so isn’t as fresh as our Scottish salmon. It also hasn’t been swimming in our wild Scottish waters which we think makes Scottish salmon firmer, fitter and better tasting."

"Adhering to responsible sourcing, our quality salmon comes from the wild waters of Shetland," claims Belhaven Smokehouse.

Whilst Belhaven Smokehouse promotes the "wild waters", no mention is made of the fact that all Shetland salmon is farmed (there are no wild salmon rivers in Shetland and it is understood to be a criminal offence to catch wild salmon passing through Shetland waters). Shetland salmon farming in particular has a sordid history of infectious salmon anaemia, lice-infestation, illegal use of toxic chemicals, illegal shooting of seals, illegal trapping of seals and environmental pollution.

Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood marketed their disease-ridden farmed salmon via the WildWaters range until closing down in 2015 with Tesco pulling out of stocking the WildWaters range in 2014. And Samuels in the United States market 'Wild Isles Salmon' "pen raised in the wild rivers off of Scotland’s Shetland Islands’ coastline". Shetland salmon was first marketed with the tag-line "Farmed in the Wild" back in 2002. Last year, Grieg Seafood announced that they were pulling out of Scotland due to disease and mortality problems.

Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood waves goodbye to Scotland – leaving mass mortalities, infectious diseases, escapes, dead seals & environmental pollution in their wake! @GriegShetland @GriegNL @Folketrygdfond @SSPOsays @tavishscott @bbcshetland #Shetland https://t.co/BkWCsFCg0h pic.twitter.com/6VfD7PnhUP

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 17, 2020

Belhaven Smokehouse's web-site claims:

Belhaven Smokehouse's 'Did You Know' web-page states:

Nowhere on Belhaven Smokehouse's website does it state, as far as Scottish Salmon Watch can see, that the smoked salmon is farmed not wild.

Today (29 April 2021), Scottish Salmon Watch filed a complaint with East Lothian Trading Standards.

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 29, 2021 at 9:25 AM
Subject: Complaint re. Belhaven Smokehouse's 'wild' claims about factory farmed salmon
To: <tradingstandards@eastlothian.gov.uk>

Please consider this a formal complaint re. a breach of Trading Standards by Belhaven Smokehouse: https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/about-us

Belhaven Smokehouse operate from Beltonford, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1ST: https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/index.php?route=information/contact

Scottish Salmon Watch's complaint is a simple one – Belhaven Smokehouse's marketing and advertising is seriously misleading for consumers and is deceptive. The language refers, implies and alludes to the salmon products being sold as being wild not farmed (which is undoubtedly the case as it is understood to be illegal to catch wild salmon in Shetland and there are no wild salmon rivers on Shetland).

For example, Belhaven Smokehouse states via: https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/

"Adhering to responsible sourcing, our quality salmon comes from the wild waters of Shetland"

And via: https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/did-you-know

"Is it Scottish? Almost three-quarters of salmon sold in the UK comes from Norway. Norwegian salmon is typically 10% to 15% cheaper than Scottish Salmon, however it takes longer for the fish to arrive in the UK so isn’t as fresh as our Scottish salmon. It also hasn’t been swimming in our wild Scottish waters which we think makes Scottish salmon firmer, fitter and better tasting"

The repeated references to "wild waters of Shetland" and "swimming in our wild Scottish waters" is deliberately misleading and designed to conjure up an image of wild not farmed salmon.

Nowhere on Belhaven Smokehouse's web-site does it state that the product is the inferior factory farmed not wild salmon. Their web-page for customers to buy smoked salmon does not even notify the public that the products are all sourced from foreign-owned salmon farming companies: https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/smoked-salmon

It is understood that only three companies (Cooke Aquaculture, Grieg Seafood and Scottish Sea Farms) currently produce farmed salmon in Shetland and they're all owned by foreign multinationals in Norway and Canada.

The ova (eggs) used to farm 90% of 'Scottish' salmon is imported from Norway, Iceland and Ireland.

This is not a wild salmon product. It is not even truly Scottish.

The company behind Belhaven Smokehouse is Ethico Holdings who their web-page claims: "put people before profits and our moral principles and strict ethics underpin our business and govern everything we do".

Online via https://www.belhavensmokehouse.co.uk/about-us

However, Belhaven Smokehouse and Ethico Holdings are clearly operating a consumer con and fraud. Scottish Salmon Watch sincerely hopes that a quick phone call from Trading Standards can lead to Belhaven Smokehouse being honest and transparent about the provenance of their salmon products.

For example, which sites and companies in Shetland is the salmon sourced from? Is the 'wild' salmon sourced from farms with disease, lice and virus problems? Has the 'wild' salmon supplier killed seals?

Scottish Salmon Watch has presented further evidence on the significant differences between farmed and wild salmon and why consumers have a right to know if the salmon they buy is wild or farmed. Read more online via: Complaint re. 'Wild' Shetland Salmon filed with Trading Standards in East Lothian

The blog also details information from Companies House on the people involved with Ethico Holdings (owners of Belhaven Smokehouse) which include a Robert Trotter – not to be confused with Rodney Trotter and Del Boy Trotter of Trotter Independent Trading Co. Scottish Salmon Watch does not think that even Del Boy would pull a sham, scam and a consumer con as pulled here by Belhaven Smokehouse.

Tweet via: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1387683926257377282

Scottish Salmon Watch hopes that Belhaven Smokehouse corrects their web-site as quickly as Rick Stein when he was contacted by Trading Standards in Cornwall following similarly misleading marketing and 'wild' claims:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-56745590

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks,

Don Staniford

Director, Scottish Salmon Watch

Belhaven Smokehouse's Twitter page needs a serious update too – the last Tweet was in 2010!

#Christmas smoked salmon #recipe http://ow.ly/3at9v Would be even tastier with our smoked salmon 🙂 available online—> http://ow.ly/3atb1

— Belhaven Smokehouse (@Belhavenfood) November 16, 2010

Belhaven Smokehouse's web-site states that it is owned by Ethico Holdings Ltd.

According to data from Companies House, Ethico Holdings has a registered address in Holywood in Northern Ireland and the 'ulitimate beneficial owner' is Mr Kave Tristan Sigaroudinia.

Companies House reports that Robert Duncan Trotter is an active officer of Ethico Holdings.

But please do not get Robert Trotter confused with Del Boy Trotter or Rodney Trotter from 'Only Fools & Horses' and Trotters Independent Trading Company.

According to Companies House, the person with significant control at Ethico Holdings is Kave Tristan Sigaroudinia who is resident in Scotland but has a registered business address in Northern Ireland.

Ethico Holdings is an active company, according to Companies House, but since it was only incorporated in November 2020 it is not due to post accounts until August 2022.

Check Company's web-site reports:

Kave Sigaroudinia knows a thing or two about the uncertainties of investment. Reuters reported in 2016:

As Mr Sigaroudinia and other traders like Del Boy Trotter are fully aware, wild salmon and farmed salmon is not the same product. Just ask celebrity chef Rick Stein who was forced by Trading Standards in Cornwall to delete reference to wild rivers on his web-site marketing smoked salmon and admit that it was farmed salmon from the Faroe Islands.

Is Rick Stein misleading shoppers by advertising his salmon as smoked "on the edge of the Royal Forest of Dean between two of England's most celebrated salmon rivers" if it comes from farms in Ireland, Scotland, Faroes or Australia? @Rick_Stein @SevernWye https://t.co/LJd5ZpLPA4 pic.twitter.com/4v9t7xJiz7

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 25, 2021

Victory: Rick Stein Forced to Advertise Farmed Salmon from the Faroes After Trading Standards Investigation https://t.co/dG62ULpbSA @Rick_Stein @RickSteinRest @TSCornwall @SevernWye @julesspaceman @timbrouwer89 pic.twitter.com/cvs6x8D4ev

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 9, 2021

BBC News reported earlier this month (15 April 2021):

Rick Stein: "I absolutely agree that some people may not be in favour of farmed salmon and so without hesitation we changed the wording to give a better understanding" https://t.co/RungqPbUF4 @Rick_Stein @RickSteinRest @SevernWye @TSCornwall @JoannaBlythman @TheGrocer @BBCNews

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 15, 2021

BBC News: "Director of Scottish Salmon Watch Don Staniford called on retailers to be more 'honest' over the origins of their salmon products" https://t.co/RungqPbUF4 @sainsburys @Tesco @marksandspencer @waitrose @AldiUK @coopuk @LidlGB @Morrisons @asda @rspcaassured @ASC_aqua

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 15, 2021

The Daily Mail reported (15 April 2021):

Scottish Salmon Watch director Mr Staniford, who recently appeared in Netflix hit @seaspiracy, argued the original description was 'misleading', according to the BBC @BBCNews @MailOnline @DailyMailUK @Rick_Stein @RickSteinRest @SevernWye @TSCornwall https://t.co/dO0bznzoLb

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 16, 2021

Cornwall Live reported (16 April 2021):

Writing in The Herald on Saturday (24 April 2021), award-winning food critic and author Joanna Blythman explained how farmed salmon is not fit to eat.

Award-winning food writer @JoannaBlythman: "I boycott all caged salmon, so-called “organic” included, because it is just a slightly less intensive version of the same old environmentally ruinous product" https://t.co/INnWqk1Lx6 @heraldscotland @tavishscott @Rick_Stein @SSPOsays

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 24, 2021

As Del Boy and consumers around the globe know full well, there is a world of difference between farmed and wild salmon. Don't take my word for it – please listen to ocean advocate Katie Tunn on why you should boycott farmed salmon.

Data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation reveals shockingly high levels of mortality in salmon farms in Shetland with one in three farmed salmon dying at Grieg Seafood's North Voe salmon farm and double-digit mortality rates at at least a dozen salmon farms during 2020.

When consumers buy salmon from Belhaven Smokery is this the type of disease-ridden industry they really want to support?

Thousands of Shetland salmon are also dying due to mechanical torture chambers called 'Thermolicers' – including 5,794 farmed salmon at Grieg Seafood's North Havra salmon farm.

REVEALED: Over Half a Million Salmon Tortured to Death by De-Licers! https://t.co/ItJDnGHzdB @marinescotland @FergusEwingMSP @scotgp @Animallawyersuk @MairiGougeon @ProfCMDwyer @MowiScotlandLtd @GriegShetland @scotseafarms @salmon_scottish @rspcaassured @ciwf @onekindtweet pic.twitter.com/Rwj3HSkxfo

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 10, 2020

If the public wish to find out more about the latest mass mortalities then data can be downloaded via an Excel spreadsheet from the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate.

Data Update: 1,886 'Mortality Event Reports' filed in Scotland since 2017 detailing over 21 million dead farmed salmon @marinescotland @SSPOsays @ScotlandMowi @salmon_scottish @scotseafarms @rspcaassured @GriegShetland @CookeScotland @LochDuartSalmon https://t.co/tfxR0VWuMN pic.twitter.com/3812SPYKKS

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 15, 2021

239,333 more mortalities cited in 30 'Mortality Event Reports' in Jan 2020 @marinescotland https://t.co/MMIY8aUAEj Reasons include "Compromised gill health (CGD + anaemia associated with gill bleeding) + thermal lice treatment" @MowiScotlandLtd @GriegShetland @salmon_scottish pic.twitter.com/spcJDZllkc

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 11, 2020

In August 2020 a fire killed tens of thousands of farmed salmon in Shetland.

Mass mortality at Scottish Sea Farms in Shetland: "A fire in wellboat engine room caused a total power failure resulting in no oxygen supply to fish held in the well. All fish held on the vessel died" @scotseafarms @marinescotland https://t.co/jI6ajOUOS9 @Shetnews @bbcshetland pic.twitter.com/2a3BHSnMDQ

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) October 29, 2020

In September 2019, Scottish Salmon Watch reported on welfare problems at Grieg Seafood's North Papa salmon farm in Shetland including physical damage is "attributed to a recent Optilicer treatment".

Here's more evidence of welfare abuse at salmon farms Shetland – sourced from photos published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate:

Video footage of welfare abuse at salmon farms across Scotland was published last month by Compassion in World Farming and One Kind.

Watch Lizzie Daly's shocking video footage of seals killed by salmon farmers in Shetland.

What has happened since #SilentSlaughter? A step in the right direction as salmon farm in Shetland now invests in double netting. Pressure from YOU the public has helped make this happen. Can we make Shetland seal shooting free? PLEASE RT!! https://t.co/h3VPzmCkkS pic.twitter.com/ygnJZnvTkT

— Lizzie Daly (@LizzieDalyWild) February 4, 2019

BBC News reported in 2018:

So when Belhaven Smokehouse refer to the "wild waters of Shetland" what they really mean are waters polluted by the waste discharges and sewage effluents from dozens of salmon farms and processing plants.

Photo: Overflowing blood water and "raw effluent" from Cooke's processing plant into Mid Yell Voe, Shetland (download high res image online here)

Six of Cooke's Shetland salmon farms featured amongst the sixty "liciest" salmon farms with Bastaness, Cloudin, Turness, Vee Taing, Wick of Belmont and Djubawick named and shamed in November 2017 by Salmon & Trout Conservation as breaching sea lice trigger levels between November 2016 and August 2017.

Lice infestation and infectious diseases have plagued salmon farmers in Shetland.

Finally, when Belhaven Smokehouse claim on their 'Did You Know' web-page that their "firmer, fitter and better tasting" 'Scottish' salmon (a fish they claim has been "swimming in our wild Scottish waters") is a better choice for consumers than 'cheaper' Norwegian salmon please remember that ca. 80% of 'Scottish' salmon farming is controlled by Norwegian money, 90% of 'Scottish' salmon is sourced from imported ova (eggs) from Norway, Iceland and Ireland and 99% of 'Scottish' salmon is owned/controlled by six foreign companies!

Record numbers of foreign salmon eggs are being imported by Scottish fish farms – @TheGAAIA in today’s Scottish Mail on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/wdACZSgpgh

— Georgia Edkins (@Georgia_Edkins) July 7, 2019

In fact, data disclosed by the Scottiish Government last month (17 March 2021) via FOI reveals that salmon farming companies during 2021 – including ova which will be on-grown in Shetland – imported millions of ova from Norway, Iceland and Ireland.

Further data disclosed by the Scottish Government via FOI in February 2020 revealed that salmon farming companies – including those operating in Shetland – imported millions of ova from Norway, Iceland and Ireland.

In other words, so-called 'Scottish' salmon is a sham, scam and a consumer con. Don't buy it – don't fall for Scottish Scamon!

"Norwegian interests risk bringing the whole rotten edifice of 'Scottish Salmon' crashing down" warns @HGSalmonUK to @Feorlean & @FergusEwingMSP https://t.co/7leCLZarz1 @GAA_Advocate @salmonfarming1 @IntraFishNorge @thefishsite @Salmon_Business @GreenerScotland @fiskeridir pic.twitter.com/79CBueZzXB

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) October 1, 2020

As Joanna Blythman wrote in Saturday's Herald newspaper (24 April 2021):

"It no longer makes sense to call the salmon aquaculture concerns located in Scotland Scottish when the industry is 99% foreign-owned, mainly by Norwegian corporations" https://t.co/INnWqk1Lx6 @Folketrygdfond @GriegShetland @LeroySeafood @ScotlandMowi @scotseafarms

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) April 24, 2021