Sunday, March 27, 2011

GAAIA

Thanks to BCEN you can now read online GAAIA's letter to Cermaq and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (who are the largest shareholders in Cermaq - which owns Mainstream Canada and EWOS Canada):

Letter to Cermaq and Norwegian Ministry of Trade & Ownership from GAAIA (23rd March):
http://www.ecobc.org/~DOCUMENTS/Documents_2011/To_Norway_Staniford.pdf

Notice of Civil Claim by Cermaq (23rd March):
http://msc.khamiahosting.com/sites/default/files/Staniford_Notice%20of%20Civ il%20Claim.pdf

Reminds me of a line from the film Braveheart: "I'd say that was rather less cordial than he was used to"

British Columbian Environmental Network, 26th March 2011


Cermaq, a conglomerate of companies with activities in fish farming, production of salmonid feed and research in aquaculture, claims Staniford motivated by ideology. Threatened lawsuit letter: Download.
letter_18th_March.pdf>

http://www.ecobc.org/%7EDOCUMENTS/Documents_2011/Don_Staniford_free_speech.jpg


Invokes defense of Mother Earth in response to Fish Farm suit for defamation

Read response

by Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture to Norwegian Government and Industry

"Salmon farming, like smoking, seriously damages public health, our environmental health and the health of wild salmon...the smoking gun of the Cohen Inquiry in Canada is primed to pull the trigger on damning details of how Norwegian-owned salmon farms are spreading infectious diseases to wild salmon".

"GAAIA finds it particularly curious that Cermaq chooses to fight the fact that "Salmon Farming Spreads Disease" when data sourced from Cermaq's own farms and peer-reviewed scientific papers co-authored by EWOS/Cermaq staff support GAAIA's position. "

http://ecobc.org/


The Straight, 25th March 2011

Norwegian-owned B.C. fish-farm company sues salmon activist

http://www.straight.com/files/imagecache/wide_article/images/wide/WEB_Don_St
aniford_110325.jpg

Mainstream Canada seeks injunction against claims by Scottish industrial-aquaculture foe
By Martin Dunphy
, March 25, 2011


Online comments about salmon farming land environmentalist in court http://www.mainstreamcanada.com/mainstream-canada-begins-legal-proceedings-a
gainst-mr-don-staniford

web-site: http://www.gaaia.org

Notes to Editors:

[1] In reply to a letter dated 18th March 2011 from Cermaq's lawyers, GAAIA sent a letter dated 23rd March addressed to Geir Isaksen (CEO, Cermaq); Trond Giske (Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry); Mette Wikborg (Director General, Ownership Department, Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry); Kjell Bjordal (Managing Director, EWOS) and King Harald IV of Norway


http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_trondelag/1.6736705

A copy of a letter sent to the King of Norway in 2010 is also available via:

http://www.georgiastrait.org/files/King-Harald-Letter-Jan10.pdf

[2] "Smoke on the Water, Cancer on the Coast" will be published soon via
http://www.gaaia.org/smoke-water

Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture, 24th March 2011
Salmon Farming Kills Free Speech!

- Norwegian Government abuses the Canadian Court system to crush criticism

fino, British Columbia - The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) is fighting a lawsuit being threatened by the Norwegian Government via the Norwegian-owned company Cermaq (which operates in Canada via Mainstream and EWOS). GAAIA will strongly defend itself from any legal threats from the Norwegian Government and litigation which seeks to expand Norwegian-owned salmon farming in British Columbia in particular. GAAIA is campaigning to stop the farming of alien Atlantic salmon in the pristine waters of the Pacific by Norwegian-owned companies (Cermaq, Marine Harvest and Grieg Seafood) who now control 92% of BC salmon farms.

"Bring it on!" said Don Staniford, global coordinator for GAAIA. "Where there's smoke there's fire or as they say in showbusiness 'where there's a hit, there's a writ'. GAAIA relishes the opportunity to prove in court that 'Salmon Farming Kills'. Cermaq are blowing smoke and are all smoke and mirrors when it comes to their claims of 'sustainable aquaculture'.

Norwegian companies may have a monopoly on salmon farming but the Norwegian Government does not have a monopoly on the truth. Salmon farming, like smoking, seriously damages public health, our environmental health and the health of wild salmon. For the sake of our global ocean we need to quit salmon farming now and stub out farmed salmon from the face of the blue planet".

In response to the threat of legal action from Cermaq, GAAIA yesterday fired off a smoking hot letter to Cermaq, the Norwegian Government and the King of Norway [1]. GAAIA will be seeking to file a private prosecution and other legal remedies against the Norwegian Government and Cermaq. GAAIA will soon be publishing a new report 'Smoke on the Water, Cancer on the Coast' lifting the lid on the can of worms that is the Norwegian-owned global salmon farming industry [2].

"Put that in your pipe and smoke it Geir Isaksen (CEO of Cermaq) and Trond Giske (Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry)!" said Staniford. "Norwegian-owned companies have blood on their hands and are responsible for the deaths of millions of salmon, hundreds of marine mammals as well as even their own workers. Cermaq's disease-ridden feedlots have left a trail of tragedy in their wake especially in Chile and in British Columbia where they are spreading infectious diseases around the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Broughton Archipelago and the Wild Salmon Narrows.

Even more alarmingly, the smoking gun of the Cohen Inquiry in Canada is primed to pull the trigger on damning details of how Norwegian-owned salmon farms are spreading infectious diseases to wild salmon".

GAAIA finds it particularly curious that Cermaq chooses to fight the fact that "Salmon Farming Spreads Disease" when data sourced from Cermaq's own farms and peer-reviewed scientific papers co-authored by EWOS/Cermaq staff support GAAIA's position. GAAIA yesterday wrote to the Canadian Fisheries Minister on the ISA issue in particular.

"The Norwegian Government - who are the largest shareholder and controlling interest in Cermaq - must not be allowed to get away with murder in British Columbia, Chile, Scotland and at home in Norway," said Staniford. "Is the Cermaq Board of Directors and Cermaq shareholders, including the Minister of Trade and Industry, fully aware of the potential implications of the disease problem in Canada on not just the health of wild salmon stocks but also the health of Cermaq's stocks? Cermaq may be fuelled by billions of dollars of dirty Norwegian oil-money but GAAIA is armed with the sword of truth and shield of virtue and has GAIA, the goddess of Mother Earth, in our corner. Cermaq and the Norwegian Government - see you in court."

GAAIA is seeking to support shareholder resolutions at this year's Cermaq AGM (taking place in Oslo, Norway, on 11th May) calling for the resignation of CEO Geir Isaksen and the full and transparent public disclosure of disease records in Canada as well as Chile, Scotland and Norway.

A photo of Don Staniford handing a letter to the King of Norway in 2009 is
available above and online (with video) via:

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_trondelag/1.6736705

Also online as a news story in Canada via:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/fish-farm-sues
-activist-for-defamation/article1955940/


In Norway (in English):
http://www.4-traders.com/CERMAQ-476705/news/CERMAQ-Mainstream-Canada-begins-
legal-proceedings-against-Don-Staniford-13588104/


In Norwegian: http://www.dagbladet.no/a/15943844/

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