Secret plans cooked up by the salmon farming industry to use chicken and pig products in farmed salmon feed are under fire following criticism from France's Minister of Agriculture. Undercurrent News reported earlier today (20 February):
LSA Conso reported yesterday (19 February):
Under new European Union rules, the use of chicken and pork products will be permitted for use in salmon feed from June this year. Undercurrent News reported last month (28 January):
UK retailer Tesco, recently embroiled in the horsemeat scandal, could be one of the first retailers selling a range of farmed salmon on chicken feathers and pork products. Undercurrent News reported (31 January):
Salmon feed giant Nutreco (former owner of Marine Harvest and the world's largest fish feed manufacturer) is lobbying to use poultry meal, blood meal, meat and bone meal. Undercurrent News reported (1 February):
The article concluded:
So watch out for a new product range of "Looney Salmon" including 'Porky Pig' and 'Foghorn Leghorn' flavoured farmed salmon!
The French minister's comments come in the wake of the food scandal in Europe which has seen horsemeat from Poland, France, Romania and Ireland leaping like Pegasus into an array of 'beef' products on sale in supermarkets in the United Kingdom.
With the provenance of food now higher up the political agenda and the European market still quaking from the BSE scare, it seems that farmed salmon fed on chicken and pork products may be too much for most consumers to stomach.
The 'Chicken-Salmon' should stay where it belongs – in the science fiction cartoon world of Futurama!
If I wanted chicken I'd go to Kentucky Fried Chicken not eat farmed salmon!
For more background read "Chicken of the Sea" and "Finger Lickin' Good? Farmed Salmon Feed Contains Chicken Parts"