The decision to abolish farming along Canada’s west coast out of consideration for indigenous people is now facing stiff opposition from Norwegian salmon companies Mowi and Cermaq.
Salmon Farmers Mowi and Cermaq are now going to court to get an assessment of the decision to stop several facilities along the west coast of Canada, according to the salmonbusiness.com site.
In December, it was decided that cultivation permits around the Discovery Islands in British Columbia should be removed by June 30, 2022. The background is the concern of local indigenous people, who are concerned about the negative impact of wild salmon in the area.
Both Mowi Canada West and Cermaq Canada said, according to Salmonbusiness.com, that they will have to cut their workforces in light of the planned layoffs.
Cermaq Canada stressed in a statement that the judicial review focused only on decisions and exercise of authority, and that they respected the opinions and rights of indigenous peoples in the area.
“The legal review that Cermaq is submitting is intended to give Cermaq time to contact local indigenous organizations regarding operations in their area,” wrote the company, which in doing so hopes to work together on a deal that ensures the future of agriculture in the area.
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“The decisions, time perspective, and lack of precision are unreasonable, and threaten the viability of Mowi’s entire operation in British Columbia,” Mowi Canada said in a statement, according to several Canadian media outlets.
The country is one of the world’s largest producers of farmed salmon, with an annual production of close to 150,000 tonnes. Only Norway, Chile and Scotland are larger.
At the forefront are Norwegian companies such as Mowi, Cermaq and Grieg Seafood. Mowi is clearly the largest, with facilities on the west and east coasts of the country, and produced 54,000 tonnes of salmon in Canada in 2019.
E24 has been unable to get a comment from Mowi yet.
Salmonbusiness.com: Cermaq and Mowi go to court over the write-off of Discovery IslandCermaq’s statement can be seen here
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