High Levels Of Pollution & Sea Lice @ Scottish Salmon Farms; Freedom Foods Label "A Fig Leaf"

[hatrack]

The RSPCA's Freedom Food labelling schemehas been accused by anglers of failing to crack down on poor environmental standards at Scottish salmon farms.

The Salmon and Trout Association, an influential charity which promotes angling and wild fisheries, said a number of farms accredited under the animal welfare scheme had proven records of high levels of seabed pollution and sea lice infestation, a parasite which has affected scores of Scottish fish farms, yet no action had been taken against them.

Those included sites owned by the Scottish Salmon Company, which had been found to have unacceptable seabed pollution levels or failed testing by official agencies, or had sea lice infestation levels which breached best practice guidelines.

Freedom Foods also refused to disclose which fish farms are its members because that information was commercially confident, or how much money it earned from them, which made it very hard for consumers to judge its track record, it said. The association estimated that Freedom Foods makes up to £1m a year from an annual £463 a year membership fees and from licensing its famous blue logo to producers, imposing a fee for every kilo of fish produced.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/16/freedom-foods-salmon-farming-standards

[madrchsod]

1. yuck........