RSPCA Sponsored Welfare Abuse of Salmon Farms – A Guide to Getting Away with Mass Murder (Theriocide)!

 

 

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 policy of condoning and advocating the killing of seals was the subject of a blog last week and in March the RSPCA was labelled the "worst of all" by George Monbiot.   Here we focus on how the RSPCA's standards permit welfare abuse to slip through the net.  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

 

 

 

 

 

How would these poor farmed salmon score on the RSPCA's welfare assessment?

 

Eye collage #1

Eye collage #2

Eye collage #3

Eye collage #4

 

 

 

Here's some farmed salmon which slipped through the RSPCA's welfare assessment – as filmed by undercover investigators for Animal Equality:

 

 

 

 

And here's video footage published in March 2021 by Compassion in World Farming and OneKind showing endemic suffering and welfare abuse inside RSPCA Assured salmon farms across Scotland:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What score would the RSPCA inspectors give to these farmed salmon filmed by Compassion in World Farming at 22 salmon farms between September and December 2020?

 

CIWF Dead Fish report March 2021 #2 photo

 

CIWF Dead Fish report March 2021 #3 photo

 

CIWF Scottish Salmon Investigation March 2021 #15 Grieg lice infested

 

CIWF Scottish Salmon Investigation March 2021 #26 SSF dead fish blind swimming

 

 

 

What score would the RSPCA assign to these farmed salmon filmed by Corin Smith of Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots (published in May 2021)?

 

 

 

 

Here's photos of diseased, deformed and abused Scottish salmon which slipped through the RSPCA's welfare assessment net.

 

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #1 Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #2

 

 

 

 

 

The photo dossier includes these RSPCA Assured salmon farmed by Mowi:

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #3 Mowi Tabhaigh

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #4 Mowi Port na Cro

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #6 Mowi Poll na Gille

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #7 Mowi Rum

 

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #11 Mowi Kingairloch

 

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #20 Mowi Groatay

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #21 Mowi Grey Horse Channel

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #39 Mowi Raineach

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #44 Mowi Ardmaddy

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #45 Mowi Ardmaddy

 

 

More recent photographic evidence at RSPCA Assured Mowi was published later in 2020:

 

 

 

 

North Shore Oct 2019 Photo #1North Shore Oct 2019 Photo #3

 

 

 

 

Scottish Salmon Watch filmed at RSPCA Assured Mowi in Loch Greshornish in July 2020:

 

 

 

 

And at RSPCA Assured Mowi in Loch Torridon in September 2020:

 

 

 

 

Mowi's RSPCA Assured (and ASC-certified) salmon farm at Gorsten in Loch Linnhe features in Netflix's global hit 'Seaspiracy'.

 

 

 

 

RSPCA Assured Grieg Seafood has also reported eye-popping welfare abuse. 

 

Photo Dossier of FHI Case Information Feb 2020 #27 Grieg Leinish

 

 

Two eyes popping out due to welfare abuse via an Optlicer would probably score "severe" on the RSPCA's welfare assessment scale.

 

FHI March 2019 North Papa photo #3 eyes bulging close up

 

 

 

It's unclear how the RSPCA assessed the mass mortalities at Grieg's salmon farming operations in Loch Dunvegan during 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots reported earlier this month (3 May 2021):

 

ISSF May 2021 eye problems #1

 

 

ISSF May 2021 eye problems #2

 

 

 

Last month, Scottish Salmon Watch wrote to the Secretary of State regarding the lack of quality and quantity of welfare "inspections" of salmon farms. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corin Smith posted on Facebook's Inside Scottish Salmon Feedlots last week (13 May 2021):

 

RSPCA Corin critique 13 May 2021 #1

RSPCA Corin critique 13 May 2021 #2

RSPCA Corin critique 13 May 2021 #3

 

 

Last year, 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

 

 

 

In November 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch raised the issue of welfare abuse on salmon farms in Scotland with the Norwegian Government who invest in 'ethical' salmon farming.

 

 

 

 

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #9 Grieg

 

 

The ugly face of RSPCA Assured Scottish salmon makes you want to vomit.

 

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #7 RSPCA

 

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #1

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #2 collage

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #3 collage Grieg SSC Cooke

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #4 collage Mowi M&S SSF

The Faces of Scottish Salmon Feb 2020 #14 Chefs

 

 

Please don't be fooled by RSPCA Assured Scottish salmon – it should carry a health warning like cigarettes!

 

Gallery #3 reaching to grab pack

 

#3 Salmon Farming Causes Eye Damage

 

#4 Open Your Eyes to the Horrors of Scottish Salmon

 

#20 You Must be Blind to Eat Scottish Salmon

 

 

 

 

 

Who are the RSPCA 'inspectors' turning a blind eye to such horrific welfare abuse?  In 2016, Intrafish reported that former Marine Harvest (Mowi) manager Ian Michie had joined their inspection team.

 

RSPCA Tweet #4

 

 

Fish Farming Expert reported in 2018:

 

RSPCA Tweet #5

RSPCA Tweet #6

 

 

Take a closer look at RSPCA Assured Marine Harvest (Mowi) salmon!

 

 

 

 

The RSPCA are now hiring for a new 'Senior Scientific Officer' in charge of salmon farming policy and strategy.

 

 

 

 

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