Toxic Politics - Meet the Scottish Government's Minister for Sinister Chemicals

Meet the men peddling the toxic neonicotinoid Imidacloprid (banned for use in agriculture in 2018) on salmon pharming @FergusEwingMSP @WeAreBenchmark @FerdOwner https://t.co/mVDGK0VwhZ @MowiScotlandLtd @vmdgovuk @ScottishEPA @nature_scot @scotseafarms @salmon_scottish @SSPOsays pic.twitter.com/UyVpoCJIFp

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) July 1, 2020

Scottish Salmon Watch has been scratching under the surface of the toxic salmon farming industry and desperately needs a shower. According to documents disclosed via Freedom of Information, one of the 'inventors' of Imidacloprid use in salmon farming is Benchmark's John Marshall who has been lobbying the Scottish Government's Fergus Ewing (Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy & Connectivity) since at least September 2018 with a meeting in Edinburgh in October 2018 to discuss "field trials in Scotland".

John Marshall, the 'inventor' of Imidacloprid use in salmon farming, and his Benchmark colleague Neil Robertson met again with Fergus Ewing with a high profile meeting in the Scottish Parliament in September 2019 (according to documents disclosed to Scottish Salmon Watch via FOI) to discuss CleanTreat (the Trojan Horse for ever more toxic chemicals to be used in salmon farming) and trials of Imidacloprid in Scotland.

The FOI documents disclosed by the Scottish Government reveal that Fergus Ewing met with "four key Scottish salmon producers" in April 2019 keen to use Benchmark's CleanTreat technology (the vehicle for Imidacloprid use in salmon farming).

Just six foreign-owned companies – Mowi (Marine Harvest), Scottish Sea Farms, The Scottish Salmon Company, Grieg Seafood, Cooke Aquaculture and Loch Duart – control 99% of Scottish salmon farming production.

The following month in May 2019, FOI documents disclosed by the Scottish Government reveal that the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (the lobby group on behalf of 'Scottish' salmon farming – 65% of which is controlled by the Norwegian-owned companies Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg Seafood) lobbied the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to take forward trials of Imidacloprid (known as Ectosan when launched in 2017 and then re-branded as BMK08 in 2019) in Scotland (with Fergus Ewing copied into their letter to SEPA).

The Norwegian money men behind Benchmark – the Norwegian-owned company pushing the use of Imidacloprid in salmon farming (field trials involving 35,000 tonnes of farmed salmon at five salmon farms in Norway have already taken place) – include Norway's fifth richest man Johan Andresen and Gustav Witzoe (who is the largest shareholder via Kverva of SalMar which co-owns Scottish Sea Farms – father of billionnaire playboy and model Gustav Magnar Witzoe).

Meet the filthy rich Norwegian tobacco billionaire @FerdOwner desperate to 'CleanTreat' parasite-infested pharmed salmon with the toxic neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid (BMK08/Ectosan) @WeAreBenchmark https://t.co/ORQS4EAeDS #Salmoney #Salmonopoly https://t.co/u5aJ4cQ1eS pic.twitter.com/2zh6cxBdeg

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 18, 2020

"It's the tasty one," said a cigarette ad for Tiedemanns Tobaksfabrik (biggest tobacco company in Norway) @FerdOwner https://t.co/Pv7Npg9mWB "Setting a new standard in environmental care for sea lice bath treatments," claims CleanTreat @WeAreBenchmark #BlowingSmoke #Imidacloprid pic.twitter.com/SE0xCB38FC

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 19, 2020

Fergus Ewing's unhealthy relationship with neonicotinoids – and big business – is as toxic as tobacco.

The Ferret reported in September 2018 that Fergus Ewing was pushing the use of a neonicotinoid chemical in the forestry sector:

In November 2018 (following his meeting with Benchmark in October 2018), FOI documents disclosed by the Scottish Government reveal that Fergus Ewing lobbied to speed up trials which Norwegian salmon farming giant Marine Harvest (renamed Mowi on 1 January 2019 despite objections from the Mowinckel family) wanted "to get off the ground as soon as possible".

In May 2020, Scottish Salmon Watch revealed that Mowi (the CEO admitted that they changed their name from Marine Harvest due to "negative consumer perception") was lobbying the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to support a field trial of Imidacloprid at Ardnish in Loch Ailort (where the Duke of Edinburgh visited in 1974 leading to the Royal Warrant for Marine Harvest/Mowi).

Secret Trials: 'Royal' Salmon Doused with Bee-Killing Insecticide Imidacloprid? https://t.co/S1ovGqCpu7 FOI reveals proposed 'field trial' of toxic neonicotinoid @MowiScotlandLtd at Ardnish in Loch Ailort @ScottishEPA @WeAreBenchmark @marinescotland @FerdOwner @vmdgovuk #BMK08 pic.twitter.com/iUl9lk7XPv

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) May 20, 2020

Does @RoyalFamily support the use of the bee-killing toxic neonicotinoid Imidacloprid by royal warrant holder @MowiScotlandLtd? Prince Philip visited Loch Ailort in 1974 leading to pharmed salmon supplied to Buckingham Palace #WorldBeeDay #WorldBeeDay2020 https://t.co/S1ovGqCpu7 pic.twitter.com/rPIRJQDpms

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) May 20, 2020

How can the Prince of Wales be a champion of 'sustainable' salmon farming when it plans to use the bee-killing neonicotinoid Imidacloprid in Loch Ailort? @MowiScotlandLtd @ClarenceHouse https://t.co/WuZF4j7EcN @RoyalFamily #WorldBeeDay #WorldBeeDayDay2020 @WeAreBenchmark #BMK08 pic.twitter.com/f9IGlbauSy

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) May 20, 2020

Marine Scotland just issued @MowiScotlandLtd with a "LICENCE TO DEPOSIT ANY SUBSTANCE OR OBJECT WITHIN THE SCOTTISH MARINE AREA –MARINE FARM" at Ardnish in Loch Ailort https://t.co/B5JB6Z94Uk Is this to use the toxic neonicotinoid Imidacloprid? #Toxic @WeAreBenchmark @ScottishEPA pic.twitter.com/TZD9jNsgpE

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 26, 2020

What does Mowi want to do with 92 cages & 6 mobile pens in Loch Ailort?! https://t.co/0ARGQ1RPSu pic.twitter.com/KI825UyI9J

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 30, 2020

In May 2020, the Scottish Greens wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment (Roseanna Cunningham) "deeply concerned" at the use of Imidacloprid in salmon farming.

Scottish Greens "deeply concerned" at Mowi's field trial of Neonicotinoid @markruskell @strathearnrose @scotgp @FergusEwingMSP @SP_ECCLR @ScottishEPA "Imidacloprid has been classed as an environmental hazard" @WeAreBenchmark @MowiScotlandLtd @vmdgovuk https://t.co/KTgbs4GnNM pic.twitter.com/ESCXnu1TOM

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) May 21, 2020

Mark Ruskell MSP: "There is a startling lack of transparency, with @FergusEwingMSP always ready to approve the next sticking plaster approach to the chronic animal health and welfare issues caused by the industry" https://t.co/6u7ZifHNFo @markruskell @scotgp @ScottishEPA

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) March 17, 2020

You can always rely on Scotland's Minister for the Promotion of Norwegian Salmon Farming to defend the indefensible salmon farming industry (even when millions of diseased farmed salmon are dead in the water).

Fergus Ewing is ‘un-ministerial’, says civil service union @FerretScot https://t.co/QcnZ3I2Jx4 @pcs_union accused @FergusEwingMSP of avoiding FOI law by failing to ensure that 25 meetings with fish farming industry were recorded @FOIScotland @CampaignFoI @TheSoundOfJura @scotgp pic.twitter.com/97edIH4QAu

— Don Staniford (@TheGAAIA) June 5, 2020

The Ferret reported (1 June 2020):

Read article in full online here

In December 2018, The Scottish Government did disclose some information in relation to Fergus Ewing's close relationship to the 99% foreign-controlled salmon farming industry following a FOI request from Scottish Salmon Watch.

In August 2019, Fergus Ewing together with fellow Scottish Minister Kate Forbes gorged à la John Gummer on Mowi's disease-ridden RSPCA Assured farmed salmon.

In April 2018, Fergus was at the Brussels Seafood Show flexing his muscles on behalf of the predominantly Norwegian-owned 'Scottish' salmon farming sector and pledging his support to a reckless expansion plan to double or even treble salmon farming production by 2030: