Grieg's Exit Strategy for Disease-Ridden Scottish Salmon Farms

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

"Salmon farming in Shetland is successful" claims @tavishscott @SP_RECcttee
Errr – did you not read the news yesterday on how Grieg Seafood is dead in the water in Shetland?https://t.co/BkWCsFCg0h @GriegShetland @shetlandtimes @bbcshetland @Shetnews @SSPOsays @HamishMacdonell pic.twitter.com/B5hZZv4qMs

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 18, 2020

“Scotland produces the best salmon in the world to the highest standards" @tavishscott @heraldscotland
New head of Scottish Salmon wants "to take salmon farming in Scotland to the next level" @SSPOsays https://t.co/BkWCsFCg0h
You haven't reached the bottom of the barrel yet?! pic.twitter.com/jwXnoud4CX

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 27, 2020

Seafood Source reported (17 November 2020):

Shetland News reported (17 November 2020):

The Shetland Times reported (17 November 2020):

Grieg's Q3 2020 financial report published earlier today (17 November 2020) makes for grim reading for shareholders which include the Norwegian Government's Pension Fund:

To flesh the "high mortality event at Skye" out, here's gruesome video footage shot by Scottish Salmon Watch at Grieg Seafood's disease-ridden operations in Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye in July 2020 and September 2020.

Grieg Seafood reports Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (Piscine Reovirus) in Loch Dunvegan on Skye https://t.co/JQz2K2rsoL @GriegShetland @SSPOsays @marinescotland @APHAgovuk @IainNaHoe @WHFP1 @ScotSalmonTank @KateForbesMSP https://t.co/jDOzHQZvkB @FergusEwingMSP @scotgp pic.twitter.com/7yQPhqifS4

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) September 21, 2020

Mass mortality data published earlier this month (6 November 2020) by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate reveal the scale of Grieg Seafood's disease problems on the Isle of Skye as well as in Shetland – including 146 'Mortality Event Reports' totaling 1.7 million dead salmon since reporting began in January 2017 (1.2 million have been reported in 2020). Here's the latest mortality reports (data up to the end of September 2020) with Complex Gill Disease, Cardiomyopathy Syndrome, Treatment losses (Salmosan/Hydrogen Peroxide), Pancreas Disease, Bacterial Challenge, Heart & Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, Physical Damage from Optilicer Treatments, Winter Ulcers, Bacterial Infection (Moritella & Vibrio), Amoebic Gill Disease, Damaged Gills – Bleeding, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis and Anaemia cited as reasons for deaths:

Scottish Salmon Watch reported (6 November 2020):

Shocking Scottish Salmon: 78.3% mortality rate reported at Grieg Seafood's Leinish salmon farm on the Isle of Skye – four out of five @rspcaassured fish died a horrible death! @GriegShetland @SSPOsays @onekindtweet https://t.co/a3w08wp8bt @KateForbesMSP @Ianblackford_MP @WHFP1 pic.twitter.com/wzA2j4E6CD

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 6, 2020

Data published by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation – which represents the six foreign-owned companies who together account for 99% of 'Scottish' salmon farming production – paints a shocking picture of diseased and dead Scottish salmon with a staggering 78.3% mortality at Grieg Seafood's Leinish salmon farm in Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.

Intrafish reported (18 September 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 Grieg Seafood – sourced from photos published by the Scottish Government's Fish Health Inspectorate:

Edie Bowles @Animallawyersuk said the dossier, compiled by Don Staniford, a critic of salmon farming, indicated “systemic and obvious” pain & suffering that could justify legal action against @scotgov @MairiGougeon @SSPOsays https://t.co/ZuzAis8gEr @SundayTimesScot @ciwf @scotgp pic.twitter.com/RPVIAL3KlS

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) February 2, 2020

There was simply no escape for the problems plaguing Grieg Seafood in Scotland.

In January 2017, nearly 6,000 farmed salmon died at a Grieg Seafood salmon farm in Shetland due to the heated 'torture chamber' called the Thermolicer:

Salmon Business reported in June 2020:

BBC News reported in June 2020:

In 2009, The Shetland Times reported:

Scottish Salmon Watch published a report – 'Scottish Scamon' – in February 2019 with a section on Grieg Seafood including:

Salmon Business reported (18 November 2020):

Fish Farmer reported (18 November 2020):

Meet Norway's Salmafia who control the majority of 'Scottish' salmon farming. Follow the Salmoney to reveal the Norwegian Salmonopoly! @MowiScotlandLtd @scotseafarms @LeroySeafood @GriegShetland @salmon_scottish @Folketrygdfond @WeAreBenchmark @FerdOwner https://t.co/Kob2OOcz2m pic.twitter.com/bOaZaDHiBW

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 17, 2020

Anyone want to buy disease-ridden salmon farms @GriegShetland for £125 million? @Folketrygdfond
Last year Grieg in #Scotland lost £19.5 million & hundreds of thousands of fish to disease & welfare problems! @SSPOsays https://t.co/rJQyhkuXUL @Ianblackford_MP @KateForbesMSP

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 29, 2021

Grieg enters discussions to sell Scottish salmon farms – will @scotseafarms or @CookeScotland pay NOK 1.5 billion ($166 million) for the disease-ridden welfare nightmare? https://t.co/KIOy6oaoA9 @IntraFishNorge @GriegShetland @LeroySeafood @Folketrygdfond https://t.co/4xLRGxwM7a pic.twitter.com/Gc0Q3aydPK

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 29, 2021