A brave whistleblower has shared photos and reports of concerning practices at the Skretting facility. It includes mouldy feed being reprocessed back into fish pellets, contamination from pigeon faeces in a raw product intake area, and feral cats roaming the warehouse facility, compromising sanitation and contamination controls.
Concerningly, it seems that other employees at the facility have backed the whistleblower’s claims that the re-use of mouldy feed is common practice for this multinational corporation. The whistleblower felt compelled to go public with these shocking images because he had no confidence in Biosecurity Tasmania’s ability to investigate his formal complaint – with good reason.
In Parliament it was revealed that Biosecurity Tasmania is still yet to visit the facility – meaning that crucial evidence of these allegations may be swept under the rug. It’s a damning indictment on the government’s regulation of this industry, and evidence of the cost of the Liberals’ cuts to biosecurity funding.
This is a serious matter. Mycotoxins from mould can be a serious health risk to both salmon and humans. But when asked about these allegations in Parliament, the Premier restated his government’s support for the salmon industry.
Tasmanians are tired of their waterways being polluted so that industrial mega-corporations can rake in more profits. These allegations are yet more evidence of an industry that’s been allowed to run roughshod over regulations, supported wholeheartedly by the Liberal Government.
What catastrophe must happen next before the Liberal Government will pull the salmon farming industry into line?
