Mowi loses Royal Warrant

A Royal Warrant is effectively an endorsement from the UK Royal Household, entitling the holder to describe their product or service as “By Royal Appointment”.

Mowi, or Marine Harvest as it was then, was awarded the Royal Warrant in March 1991. As reported by the Telegraph newspaper yesterday, however, the latest list published by the Royal Warrant Holders Association does not include Mowi’s name on the list.

Neither Mowi nor the Royal  Household have commented on the reasons for the Warrant’s withdrawal, but the Green Britain Foundation, which is opposed in principle to salmon farming, sees a connection with allegations earlier this year that fish at Mowi’s Loch Harport organic farm site had been culled inhumanely.

Video footage obtained by the Foundation in March this year, shows what the Foundation says are 18 incidents of alleged cruelty, including fish being stunned with multiple blows to the head rather than a single blow, as required by RSPCA standards, and fish left to suffocate by being removed from the water for more than the maximum 15 seconds allowed.

Mowi mounted a robust defence of its staff, who it said were doing everything possible to cull a small number of poorly-performing fish, in a manner widely used by fish farmers and anglers, under difficult conditions. The allegations led, however, to the farm being suspended from the animal welfare monitoring run by RSPCA Assured, pending investigation.

A spokesperson for the Green Britain Foundation said: “Whether coincidence or consequence, it’s right that a company found in breach of welfare standards no longer carries the King’s endorsement. A Royal Warrant is supposed to recognise the highest standards of integrity and environmental responsibility, values Mowi has repeatedly failed to meet.”

The Royal Warrant Holders Association website appears to show that no salmon farmers currently hold a Warrant, although there are three businesses listed offering smoked salmon products. King Charles is known to be a keen angler.