Scottish Scamon Eggsposé: The Foreign Companies Importing Over 320 Million Salmon Eggs (Ova) Into 'Scottish' Fish Farms Since 2016!

Data obtained via various Freedom of Information disclosures by the Scottish Government detail over 323.4 million ova imported from Norway, Iceland and the Republic of Ireland for use on 'Scottish' salmon farms since 1 January 2016. That's in addition to 462.5 million ova imported from Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Australia and USA between 2003 and 2015 (according to a FOI disclosure by the Scottish Government in November 2018). So that's 786.9 million ova imported into 'Scottish' salmon farming in the last two decades predominantly from Norway (62%), the Republic of Ireland (19%) and Iceland (18%)!

Scottish Scamon Eggsposé: FOI data @scotgov reveals 787 million ova imported from #Norway (62%), #Ireland (19%) & #Iceland (18%) for use on salmon farms in #Scotland since 2003!
'Scottish' salmon is a fake brand! @SalmonScotland
@ScotlandSalmon @SalmonTroutCons @MairiMcAllan pic.twitter.com/DLZhfAjYmq

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 29, 2021

Since 1 January 2016, Norway is the source country for 146.6 million ova imported via 128 shipments (45%); Iceland is the source country for 111.6 million ova imported via 101 shipments (35%); and the Republic of Ireland is the source country for 65.2 million ova via 51 shipments (20%). However, from 2003 to 2015 the picture is different with Norway accounting for 342 million ova imports (74%) with the Republic of Ireland at 84.4 million (18%), Iceland at 29.9 million (6.5%), Australia at 4.8 million (1%) and 1.3 million from USA (less than 1%). Since 1 June 2019 (after Norwegian ova were banned due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia risks), Iceland has accounted for 68% of ova imports into Scotland with the Republic of Ireland accounting for 32% and Norway accounting for less than 1%.

Since June 2019 (after Norwegian ova were banned due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia), #Iceland has accounted for 68% of ova imports into #Scotland with #Norway accounting for less than 1%. Now that #ISA is in Iceland will ova imports be banned? @scotgov @MairiGougeon @MairiMcAllan pic.twitter.com/ppEROAmYDN

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 29, 2021

Download collated data set as an Excel spreadsheet (from 1 January 2016 to end of February 2021) online here

Since a ban on ova imports from Norway due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia in May 2019 the recent situation has changed dramatically with only three reported shipments from Norway (all from AquaGen) totalling 380,000 ova:

In that same period (June 2019 to April 2021), there have been 66 shipments from Iceland totalling 78.5 million ova and 23 shipments from the Republic of Ireland totalling 37 million ova. So since 1 June 2019, Iceland has accounted for 68% of ova imports into Scotland with the Republic of Ireland accounting for 32% and Norway accounting for less than 1%.

Replacing imports of salmon eggs from Norway (where Infectious Salmon Anaemia is ravaging farms) with imports from Iceland (fingered in the spread of Piscine reovirus to USA) is like leaping out of the frying pan into the fire! https://t.co/ybGKdLWR9B @WeAreBenchmark @scotgov pic.twitter.com/wsmnKodIAp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 7, 2021

Now that Infectious Salmon Anaemia has been reported at Laxar in Iceland (a Norwegian-owned company which is sources ova from Stofnfiskur – rebranded Benchmark Genetics Iceland in January 2021) will Scotland now ban Icelandic ova imports and rely only on Irish ova imports?

Here's the 25 largest reported imports dominated by Marine Harvest/Mowi (Marine Harvest changed their name to Mowi in January 2019 due to "negative consumer perception" in the name Marine Harvest) as either the operator of the site of destination at various locations in Scotland or source company in Norway, Iceland and the Republic of Ireland:

Download the Excel spreadsheet in full detailing over 313 million ova imports via 272 shipments since 1 January 2016 online here – a further 10 million ova via seven shipments from Ireland and Iceland were imported between March and April 2021 (as detailed by a FOI disclosure by the Scottish Government in August 2021) although the name of source company was not provided:

Here's the most recent ova import shipments where data on the source company is provided:

Here's the most recent ova import shipments from the Republic of Ireland (where data on the source company is provided):

Here's the most recent ova import shipments from Norway (where data on the source company is provided) – hit by a ban on ova imports due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia in May 2019:

Here's the most recent ova import shipments from Iceland (where data on the source company is provided):

Norwegian-owned Laxar – hit by Infectious Salmon Anaemia in #Iceland – sources salmon eggs (ova) from Stofnfiskur (Benchmark) @WeAreBenchmark
Since 2016, 'Scottish' salmon farms have imported 110.6 million ova from Stofnfiskur (Benchmark). Will @scotgov now close the border? pic.twitter.com/xOJO5tuUv2

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 29, 2021

The salmon farming site importing the most ova since 1 January 2016 is Mowi's Lochailort Hatchery near Fort William which was opened by then First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond in 2013 with a staggering 62.1 million via 31 shipments from AquaGen in Norway, Stofnfiskur in Iceland and Mowi/Marine Harvest in Ireland and Norway:

Mowi's Inchmore hatchery near Inverness – which was only opened in June 2018 by Fergus Ewing and has already suffered huge mortality losses including 117,908 dead fish in June 2021 due to lack of oxygen and an air system failure killing 500,000 fish in October 2018 – imported 31.4 million ova via 19 shipments from Marine Harvest Norway, Mowi Ireland, Mowi Norway and Stofnfiskur in Iceland:

The Girlsta Hatchery operated by Norwegian-owned Grieg Seafood in Shetland – which lost 200,000 fish in June 2020 due to a fire – imported 28.6 million ova from Benchmark Genetics Iceland and Stofnfiskur in Iceland (the latter was rebranded into the former in January 2021), Grieg Seafood Rogaland in Norway, Salmobreed in Norway (also owned by Benchmark since 2014), AquaGen in Norway and Erfjord Stamfisk (owned by Grieg Seafood) via 17 shipments:

Ormsary Hatchery (operated by Dutch-owned Hendrix Genetics who bought Landcatch in 2011 and who earlier this month sold a 50% stake to US investment company Paine Schwarz) – a site with a history of welfare abuse, toxic chemical use and threatening behaviour – imported 26.7 million ova via 28 shipments from AquaGen in Norway, Benchmark Genetics Iceland (known before January 2021 as Stofnfiskur), Mowi/Marine Harvest Ireland, Grieg Seafood Rogaland in Norway, Salmobreed in Norway (acquired by Benchmark in 2014) and AS Bolaks in Norway (which sources ova from broodstock at Salmobreed/Benchmark) for use by Organic Sea Harvest, Loch Duart, The Scottish Salmon Company, Scottish Sea Farms and Saumon de France:

Inverpolly hatchery near Ullapool – which has a history of pollution and fungus problems – imported 26.4 million ova via 15 shipments from Mowi Ireland, Mowi Norway and Marine Harvest Norway (the site is registered to Finfish but according to Companies House has been controlled by Mowi since March 2020):

Barcaldine Hatchery near Oban – operated by Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms and the subject of an Infectious Salmon Anaemia scare in 2018 before it was opened in 2019 following a visit by Scottish Minister Kate Forbes – imported 23.4 million ova from AquaGen in Norway, Mowi Ireland and Stofnfiskur in Iceland via 18 shipments:

The Cairndow Hatchery on the Ardkinglas Estate in Argyle on Loch Fyne has imported 21.5 million ova predominantly for Cooke Aquaculture via 15 shipments from Stofnfiskur in Iceland, AquaGen in Norway, Mowi Ireland and Marine Harvest Norway:

Mowi/Marine Harvest is the biggest source company importing ova – with 101 shipments from Ireland and Norway totalling 145 million ova since 1 January 2016. Here's the most recent imports from Mowi Ireland:

And the most recent ova imports from Mowi Norway and Marine Harvest Norway:

Stofnfiskur in Iceland has been the source company importing 103.8 million ova in 93 shipments since 1 January 2016 with recent imports leaping due to Norway's ova import ban – here's the most recent:

AquaGen in Norway has been the source company importing 33.5 million ova in 47 shipments since 1 January 2016 but imports have been hit hard by the ban due to Infectious Salmon Anaemia in May 2019 – here's the most recent shipments:

In terms of companies receiving imported ova, Mowi/Marine Harvest is named as the operator or 'consignee on certificate' for 56 shipments totalling 105.2 million (from Mowi/Marine Harvest in Norway and the Republic of Ireland, Stofnfiskur in Iceland and AquaGen in Norway). Here's the largest ova shipments to Mowi/Marine Harvest since 1 January 2016:

The Scottish Salmon Company is named as the operator or 'consignee on certificate' for 55 shipments totalling 51.9 million. Here's some of The Scottish Salmon Company's imports of ova sourced predominantly from AquaGen in Norway, Stofnfiskur in Iceland:

Scottish Sea Farms is named as the operator or 'consignee on certificate' for 39 shipments totalling 47.6 million. Here's some of Scottish Sea Farms' imports of ova sourced from Mowi/Marine Harvest Ireland, AquaGen in Norway and Stofnfiskur in Iceland:

Grieg Seafood is named as the operator or 'consignee on certificate' for 18 shipments of ova (all to the Girlsta Hatchery in Shetland) totalling 28.6 million. Here's all the ova shipments mostly from Stofnfiskur in Iceland (rebranded Benchmark Genetics Iceland in January 2021) and AquaGen in Norway:

Cooke Aquaculture is named as the operator or 'consignee on certificate' for 33 shipments of ova totalling 22.3 million. Here's some of the ova shipments imported to Cooke Aquaculture from Norway, Iceland and the Republic of Ireland:

'Organic' Sea Harvest has imported via Landcatch's Ormsary Hatchery 4.2 million ova in six shipments from Iceland and the Republic of Ireland including from Mowi, Stofnfiskur and Benchmark Genetics Iceland (formerly called Stofnfiskur):

A FOI disclosure by the Scottish Government in July 2018 detailing ova imports in 2017 was originally redacted as it was deemed 'commercially damaging':

However, following a FOI victory with a ruling by the Scottish Information Commissioner, ova import data for Scottish Sea Farms was finally disclosed in full in December 2019:

'Scottish' Salmon Exposed As Made in Ireland & Iceland https://t.co/YjE3j56SBk Here's the information which @scotgov claimed "would cause substantial harm to commercial interests" @scotseafarms @HGSalmonUK @FergusEwingMSP Thanks to Scottish Information Commissioner @FOIScotland pic.twitter.com/ecZDPSD4Bk

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) December 18, 2019

Data published by the Scottish Government in September 2021 via the 'Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2020' detailed imports of ova from Iceland flooding 'Scottish' salmon farms following the ban on ova imports from Norway due to ISA risks in 2019:

Game Ova for Iceland?
Last year, 'Scottish' salmon farming imported 42 million salmon eggs (ova) from Iceland – how many were infected with Infectious Salmon Anaemia? @scotgov @MairiGougeon @marinescotland https://t.co/SupjI0ROMP @EFTAsecretariat @Iceland_Review #Iceland #ISA pic.twitter.com/VtJk2POf8m

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) November 27, 2021

Data disclosed by the Scottish Government via FOI in November 2018 detailed ova imports from 2003 to 2015 – with an eye-popping 462.5 million ova imported from Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Australia and USA. Norway accounted for 342 million ova imports (74%) with the Republic of Ireland at 84.4 million (18%), Iceland at 29.9 million (6.5%), Australia at 4.8 million (1%) and 1.3 million from USA (less than 1%):

A paper published in the journal Aquaculture in May 2016 detailed ova imports from Norway starting in the early 1980s and picking up in the early 2000s as 'Scottish' salmon was flooded by foreign shipments:

In July 2019, the Mail On Sunday reported:

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