Rest Assured – the RSPCA has been captured, co-opted & corrupted by the Salmafia

 

 

 

"Regulatory capture is an economic theory that says regulatory agencies may come to be dominated by the industries or interests they are charged with regulating," wrote Investopedia in March 2021.  "The result is that an agency, charged with acting in the public interest, instead acts in ways that benefit incumbent firms in the industry it is supposed to be regulating".  

 

 

 

 

 

Such 'capture theory' is an illuminating lens with which to view how RSPCA Assured (re-branded away from Freedom Foods in 2015) has been captured, co-opted and corrupted by the 'Scottish' salmon farming industry (99% of which is owned/controlled by six foreign companies). 

 

 

 

 

Regulatory capture – and corruption – is certainly not exclusive to disease-ridden salmon farming.  It has spread like a cancer all over the globe as corporate giants now rule the world. 

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #8

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #9

 

 

 

In April 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs detailing serious regulatory failures in the policing of animal welfare laws on salmon farms.

 

 

 

 

The letter cited evidence of serious regulatory failings in welfare assessment of salmon farms obtained via Freedom of Information from the Animal & Plant Health Agency. 

 

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch reported in April 2020:

 

 

PR Censored Welfare Abuse on Salmon Farms 23 April 2020 #1

Photo #28 dead cleaner fish red balloon

PR Censored Welfare Abuse on Salmon Farms 23 April 2020 #2

APHA Failure to Comply letter to Mowi 16 Sept 2019 BDNC #1

APHA Failure to Comply letter to Mowi 16 Sept 2019 BDNC #2

 

 

Yesterday's news that Mowi had been allowed to wriggle off the hook after clear video evidence of welfare abuse at four salmon farms is not surprising given how close to industry RSPCA Assured has become. 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2016, Intrafish reported that former Marine Harvest (Mowi) manager Ian Michie had joined the RSPCA's inspection team.

 

RSPCA Tweet #4

 

 

Fish Farmer reported in May 2016:

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #1

 

 

 

A devastating report – "RSPCA Assured certification of Scottish farmed salmon" – published by Salmon & Trout Conservation in July 2017 exposed how the RSPCA's involvement in salmon farming was a kiss of death for millions of farmed salmon. 

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #2

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #3

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #4

 

 

It seems that the RSPCA were too busy handing out awards to Marine Harvest (re-named Mowi in 2019 due to what their CEO admitted was "negative consumer perception" in the name Marine Harvest).  Fish Farming Expert reported in 2018:

 

RSPCA Tweet #5

RSPCA Tweet #6

 

 

In February 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the RSPCA asking them to stop certifying farmed salmon as 'welfare-friendly'.

 

Letter to RSPCA re welfare abuse on RSPCA Assured salmon farms 5 February 2020 #1

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Times reported in February 2020:

 

Sunday Times 9 Feb 2020 RSPCA online version #1

 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday Times reported earlier in February 2020:

 

 

 

 

Sunday Times Scientist hits out RSPCA 2 Feb 2020 Newspaper version #1

Sunday Times Scientist hits out RSPCA 2 Feb 2020 Newspaper version #2

 

 

 

Fish Farming Expert reported in May 2020 that the RSPCA suspended in-person assessments of salmon farms on 23 March 2020 with contactless assessments available by mutual agreement on 1 June 2020:

 

 

Coronavirus blog May 2020

Coronavirus blog May 2020 #2

 

 

 

 

In early April 2021, the RSPCA's crack team of inspectors reinstated RSPCA Assured certification following a temporary suspension after Compassion in World Farming published video evidence of welfare abuse inside salmon farms across Scotland several weeks earlier.

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #7

 

 

Nothing to see here, obviously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the RSPCA gave Scottish Sea Farms the all clear to carry abusing the welfare of thousands of farmed salmon at their RSPCA Assured salmon farm in Loch Spelve in May 2021 it did so again after only a short suspension of certification. 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions were asked about the RSPCA's "rigorous in-person inspection".

 

 

 

 

 

 

The free pass given to salmon farmers is not altogether surprising given the fact that a who's who of salmon farming industry representatives wrote the RSPCA's farmed salmon standards. 

 

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #5

RSPCA capture blog 30 July 2021 #6

 

 

The SSPCA has also been infiltrated, co-opted and corrupted by the salmon farming lobby.  Shamefully, the Chairperson of the SSPCA is the head vet of Scottish Sea Farms – a company guilty of welfare abuse in Loch Creran in 2020.

 

SSPCA SSF

SSPCA SSF #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In May 2021, Scottish Salmon Watch reported:

 

 

 

The RSPCA's recently published farmed salmon standards are eye-opening in terms of how the salmon farming industry gets away with the mass murder (or theriocide) of millions of RSPCA Assured 'welfare-friendly' and "responsibly sourced" Scottish salmon.  RSPCA Assured Scottish salmon accounts for ca. 60-70% of salmon farming production in Scotland – representing over £500,000 in annual income to the RSPCA from salmon farming companies – and all salmon farming companies except Organic Sea Harvest are signed up to the scheme. 

 

RSPCA Feb 2021 front cover

 

 

The RSPCA's farmed salmon standards (February 2021) – which were written by a who's who of salmon farmers – references "Welfare Outcome Assessment" which will be formalised in the next version of the standards to be published in 2022. 

 

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #1 Welfare Outcome Assessment

 

 

The RSPCA's farmed salmon standards (February 2021) detail a scoring system for assessing welfare problems in farmed salmon with, for example, fish missing one eye deemed "mild" damage and fish missing two eyes deemed "severe damage".

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #2 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #3 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #4 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #5 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #6 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #7 physical injury monitoring

RSPCA standards Feb 2021 #8 physical injury monitoring

 

 

 

 

 

The RSPCA is now hiring more staff to tackle escalating welfare abuse on salmon farms.   Fish Farmer magazine currently features a job advert for an RSPCA Assured Aquaculture Assessor (closing date for job applications is 27 August):

RSPCA job 22 July 2021 #1

RSPCA job 22 July 2021 #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch reported in May 2021.  The RSPCA are now hiring for a new 'Senior Scientific Officer' in charge of salmon farming policy and strategy.

 

 

 

 

 

Read more on the Norwegian Salmafia who have a salmonopoly on 'Scottish' salmon farming via 'Scottish Scamon' – just follow the Salmoney!

 

Salmonopoly with Fredriksen

 

 

 

 

 

 

A report – "Investing in Troubled Waters" – published this week exposed Mowi's greenwashing including damning details of mass mortalities and welfare abuse.

 

 

 

It's blindingly obvious that Mowi's salmon farms – as well as other companies – are hiding rampant welfare abuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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