Cargill Aqua Nutrition

Background

With a revenue of $177 billion in 2023,1โ€œCargill annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Cargill is one of the worldโ€™s largest agribusiness companies and the largest privately held company in the U.S.2Javier Blas, โ€œPeek Inside Americaโ€™s Largest Privately Owned Company,โ€ Bloomberg, September 19, 2023. Archived May 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cl5bi Cargillโ€™s operations include trading and production of agricultural products such as soy, palm oil, biofuels, and the manufacture of animal feeds, as well as cattle farming.3โ€œCargill at a glance,โ€ Cargill. Archived April 8, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Cargill has significant activities in the aquaculture sector through its subsidiary Cargill Aqua Nutrition (CQN), which was formed out of a merger with the Norwegian fish feed producer Ewos in 2015,4โ€œAbout Cargill in Noway,โ€ Cargill. Archived September 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SvrdtCargill buys Norwegian salmon feed maker Ewos for $1.5 billion,โ€ Reuters, August 17, 2015. Archived September 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ScH87 and through its stake in Chilean salmon farmer Multi Export (Multi X). Over 60 percent of CQNโ€™s feed is for salmon and trout.5โ€œCargill annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Through CQN, Cargill is one of four aquafeed companies โ€“ together with Mowi, Skretting, and Biomar โ€“ which control the majority of the salmon feed market.6โ€œSalmon farming industry handbook 2019,โ€ Mowi. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Between them, these four companies also supply almost all the feed to Norway, the worldโ€™s biggest producer of farmed salmon feed.7โ€œBlue Empire: How the Norwegian salmon industry extracts nutrition and undermines livelihoods in West Africa,โ€ Feedback, January 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The Norwegian salmon industry has been criticised by multiple environmental nonprofits for the large volume of wild-caught fish used in aquafeed,8โ€œBlue Empire: How the Norwegian salmon industry extracts nutrition and undermines livelihoods in West Africa,โ€ Feedback, January 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. poor salmon welfare and high mortality rates,9 โ€œNorwegian aquaculture industry must end open-net farming,โ€ Naturvernforbundet, February 8, 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DprfA 10Francesco de Augustini, โ€œNorwegian salmon farms gobble up fish that could feed millions in Africa: Report,โ€ Mongabay, February 27, 2024. Archived September 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3bfsz and environmental pollution.11โ€œReport on the Environmental Impact of farming of North Atlantic Salmon in Norway,โ€ Green Warriors of Norway (Norges Miljรธvernforbund), August 2011. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

In 2022, Cargill acquired 24.5 percent of Multi X,12โ€œMulti X adds Cargill as new strategic partner and increases its reach to more consumers,โ€ Cargill, March 18, 2022. Archived July 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ajDgH Chileโ€™s second-largest salmon farmer with a production of over 115,000 tonnes in 2023, equivalent to 22.5 million individual fish.13According to the Chilean salmon industryโ€™s average harvest weight of 5.1kg in 2023. Francisco Soto, โ€œLower mortality and higher productivity for Chilean salmon industry last year,โ€ Fish farming expert, February 6, 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pC3TE 14Gareth Moore, โ€œSweet success for Multi X in Barcelona,โ€ Fish Farmer Magazine, April 24, 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Wh3MB 15โ€œMulti X annual report 2023,โ€ Multi X. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  

The majority of CQNโ€™s aquafeed sales are for farmed salmon, tilapia, and shrimp.16โ€œAquaculture feed and nutrition,โ€ Cargill. Archived Augsut 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/dwzad

In 2023, CQN produced almost 1.8 million tonnes of feed for farmed seafood (โ€œaquacultureโ€), of which about 1.1 million tonnes was salmonid feed (i.e. for salmon and trout).17โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Cargill has grown in its aquafeed production over the past decade. In 2023, it produced 8.8 percent more feed than in 2017.18 โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. This growth was driven primarily by increasing production of  salmonid feed, which saw a 12 percent increase in the same period.19 โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  

Cargill was named โ€œthe worst company in the worldโ€ by environmental non-profit Mighty Earth in 2023 due to its supply chain links to deforestation, forced child labour, and displacement of Indigenous Peoples.20โ€œCargill: the worst company in the world,โ€ Mighty Earth, 2019. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Glossary: Industrial aquaculture key terms & definitions

This profile addresses Cargillโ€™s industrial aquaculture operations.

Controversies

Reliance on wild-caught fish for feed 

Fish like Atlantic salmon are carnivorous and rely on smaller forage (or ‘pelagic’) fish for their nutrition.

Manufacturing the feed for farmed salmon therefore requires the inclusion of fishmeal and fish oil, which is made from wild-caught fish.21โ€œAtlantic Salmon,โ€ Seafish. Archived January 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XmSc4 As the salmon industry tripled, the total volume of feed used by the salmon industry increased 429 percent in ten years to 2017.22Naylor, R. L., Hardy, R. W., Buschmann, A. H., et al., โ€œA 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture,โ€ Nature, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03308-6 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

CQN reports that more efficient use of fishmeal and fish oil in salmon feed led to its inclusion as a percentage of aquafeed halving from 55 percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2015.23โ€œSustainable Aquaculture Feed & Ingredients,โ€ Cargill. Archived June 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xB5YE However, in 2023, fishmeal and fish oil combined still made up almost a quarter of CQNโ€™s salmonid feed  feed in weight,24โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Calculation methodology. CQN used 162,528 tonnes of fishmeal and 95,892 tonnes of fish oil in its salmonid feeds in 2023. The total volume of salmonid feed was 1,099,863 tonnes in 2023. The percentage of fishmeal used was therefore 14.8 and fish oil was 8.7. The combined percentage was 14.8 + 8.7 = 23.5%. 65.5 percent of which came from whole, wild-caught fish โ€“ equivalent to over 1.5 million tonnes of fish.25DeSmog calculation, using this methodology.

The salmon industryโ€™s reliance on wild-caught nutritious fish has led to criticism of the industry as an inefficient use of marine resources.26 Bianchi et al. โ€œAssessing seafood nutritional diversity together with climate impacts informs more comprehensive dietary advice,โ€ Nature Communications Earth and Environment, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00516-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog

The fishmeal and fish oil industry has also been criticised for its negative impact on food security and jobs in the Global South,27Thiao, D. & Bunting, S.W. โ€œSocio-economic and biological impacts of the fish-based feed industry for Sub-Saharan Africa,โ€ FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1236, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7990en. Archived August 8, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and high levels of pollution around its factories;28Bunting et al., โ€œEvaluating rational and healthy use options for small pelagic fish species in sub-Saharan Africa,โ€ Food Security, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-024-01491-8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. as well as for its negative impact on other wildlife and marine food webs.29Shannon and Waller, โ€œA Cursory Look at the Fishmeal/Oil Industry From an Ecosystem Perspective,โ€ Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.645023 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 30Koehn et al., โ€œTrade-offs between forage fish fisheries and their predators in the California Current,โ€ ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2017. DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsx072 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The industry also stands accused of spurring overfishing, primarily in countries in the Global South such as Peru, Vietnam, and India, and off the coast of West Africa.31โ€œFishing for Catastrophe,โ€ Changing Markets Foundation, 2019. Archived January 31, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 32โ€œTrack the Fish,โ€ Partner Africa, October 2023. Archived January 9, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Supply Chain and Sourcing of Fishmeal and Oil (West Africa) 

Like other aquafeed companies, Cargill is not fully transparent about the volumes, countries, and provenance of species of the wild-caught fish that are used in its aquafeed.33โ€œBlue Empire: How the Norwegian salmon industry extracts nutrition and undermines livelihoods in West Africa,โ€ Feedback, January 2024. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

CQN discloses in its annual reports that it sources from the fishing region FAO34 โ€“ off the coast of Northwest Africa โ€“ where the fishmeal industry operations are known to cause pollution, food insecurity, and job losses for women fish workers in Mauritania, Senegal, and The Gambia.34โ€œFeeding a monster: How European aquaculture and animal feed industries are stealing food from West African communities,โ€ Changing Markets Foundation and Greenpeace Africa, 2021. Archived August 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 35โ€œBlue Empire: How the Norwegian salmon industry extracts nutrition and undermines livelihoods in West Africa,โ€ Feedback, 2024. Archived August 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 36A Waste of Fish: Food security under threat from the fishmeal and fish oil industry in West Africa,โ€ Greenpeace, 2019. Archived August 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog 37โ€œThe human cost of overfishing: How the overuse of fisheries resources in Sanyang threatens human rights,โ€ Amnesty International, 2023. Archived August 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Between 2019 and 2023, Cargill used over 260,000 tonnes of whole fish from Northwest Africa, according to its annual reports (see graph below).38โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition Sustainability Report 2022,โ€ Cargill, 2022. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition 2021,โ€ Cargill, 2022. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition Sustainability Report 2020,โ€ Cargill, 2020. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition Sustainability Report 2019,โ€ Cargill, 2019. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The volume of fish from West Africa used by CQN in its aquafeed has declined since 2020. However the amount used in 2023 was still equal to 40,000 tonnes of whole fish,39Calculation methodology. The percentage of whole fish from FAO34 was 2.69 percent, across CQNโ€™s feeds. Using the total volume of 1,525,500 tonnes of whole fish in all feeds, the volume of whole fish used from FAO34 is 41,036 tonnes. which could satisfy the nutritional needs of over 1 million people in the region for one year. 40Calculation methodology. DeSmog took the recommended portion size of 100g of fish / person/ per day (= 36.5kg/ person/ yr) by EAT-Lancet, based on Hicks et al. 2019. The final sum = 40,000,000 kilos fresh fish/ year/ divided by 36.5 kilos/ per capita consumption. This methodology follows that used by Feedback in its Blue Empire report. 

In January 2024, Cargill told the Financial Times that they source Mauritanian fish oil from one of two factories recognised by MarinTrust โ€“ a certification programme โ€“ as working to improve sustainability of the fishery.41Alexandra Heal, Lucy Rodgers, Justice Williams, et al., โ€œThe hidden cost of your supermarket salmon,โ€ Financial Times, January 31, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.  

Use of Certified Ingredients

CQN stated in 2023 that half the fishmeal and oil used in its aquafeeds was sourced from fisheries that are classed as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).42โ€œHome,โ€ Marine Stewardship Council. Archived November 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/01O6n

In 2019, in response to growing concerns about depletion of pelagic fish stocks, CQN set a 2025 target to source all its marine ingredients from MSC-certified sources.43โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition Sustainability Report 2019,โ€ Cargill, 2019. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. In 2023, CQN weakened this goal, stating that it would aim to source all marine ingredients only from โ€œcertified or improving sources by 2025โ€.44 โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2023, 25 percent of whole fish used in CQNโ€™s salmonid feed were certified under MSC, and 18 percent under the MarinTrust Standard, a certification programme for fishmeal factories.45โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

MarinTrust has been criticised by NGOs as too lenient,46Brigitte Wear, Hazel Healy and Michaela Herrmann, โ€œRevealed: Industry-led West Africa Fishery Protection Measures Marred By โ€˜Massive Conflicts of Interestโ€™,โ€ DeSmog, July 4, 2024. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8ocYb with reference to widespread overfishing and failings in fisheries management, charges it denies.47โ€œFishing for Catastrophe,โ€ Changing Markets Foundation, 2019. Archived January 31, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Meanwhile, the MSC has been accused of certifying unsustainable fishery practices.48Karen McVeigh, โ€œBlue ticked off: the controversy over the MSC fish โ€˜ecolabelโ€™,โ€ The Guardian, July 26, 2021. Archived February 24, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9zlMv 

Cargill funds and sources from the small pelagics Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in Mauritania.49โ€œMauritanian small pelagics – purse seine,โ€ FisheryProgress. Archived August 27, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Seven years after the FIP was established in 2017, round and flat sardinella โ€“ small fish species that are eaten through West Africa, and are targeted by the fishmeal and fish oil industry โ€“ are still overexploited and declining in the region.50โ€œReport of the Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish off NorthWest Africa,โ€ FAO, July 2019. Archived January 9, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. โ€œNinth Session of the Scientific Sub-Committee,โ€ FAO, December 2022. Archived April 11, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 51Braham et al., โ€œOverexploitation of round sardinella may lead to the collapse of flat sardinella: What lessons can be drawn for shared stocks,โ€ Fisheries Research, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106873 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

CQN states that the fishmeal and oil it sources from Mauritania is made from sardines (also known as โ€œEuropean pilchardโ€) in order to โ€œhelp ensure a balance between drawing on the fishery to support aquaculture around the globe and providing essential nutrition for local communities.โ€52โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The Mauritanian European pilchard fishery has been found to have โ€œserious management issuesโ€, with Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing warranting concern, according to a 2022 report by the non-profit Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.53โ€œREDUCTION FISHERIES, 2022 Management and stock status sustainability overview โ€“ PART 2,โ€ SFP,  April 2023. Archived January 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. According to FIP news in September 2024, sardines are now classed as overexploited in one zone within the fishery.54โ€œNewsletter – July – September 2024,โ€ FIP petits pelagiques Mauritanie, September 2024. Archived November 20, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Dave Robb, Sustainability Lead for CQN, who represents CQN on the Mauritanian FIP said the project is an โ€œimportant example of how [CQN] can support fisheries to become more sustainable, generating benefits for Mauritaniaโ€™s people, the fishing communities and usโ€.55โ€œFishery Improvement Projects (FIPs): Cargill’s commitments to ocean stewardship for more sustainable aquaculture industry,โ€ Cargill. Archived July 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JchBz 

Factories participating in the Mauritanian FIP have been linked to environmental pollution, with evidence of disposing untreated wastewater into local waterways,56โ€œTrack the Fish,โ€ Partner Africa, October 2023. Archived January 9, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 57โ€œSaumon: histoire dโ€™un enfumage,โ€ ARTE, 2022. Archived May 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yBqdU which has led to negative impacts on human health such as skin diseases.58Thiao, D. & Bunting, S.W. โ€œSocio-economic and biological impacts of the fish-based feed industry for Sub-Saharan Africa,โ€ FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1236, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7990en. Archived August 8, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

The aquafeed industryโ€™s involvement in the Mauritianian FIP has been criticised. Environmental social scientist Christina Hicks, professor at the political ecology group at Lancaster University has said the FIP risks โ€œlegitimis[ing] the continued overexploitation of [a] crucial stockโ€.59Brigitte Wear, Hazel Healy and Michaela Herrmann, โ€œRevealed: Industry-led West Africa Fishery Protection Measures Marred By โ€˜Massive Conflicts of Interestโ€™,โ€ DeSmog, July 4, 2024. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8ocYb

Food Security Claims 

CQN claims it is โ€œnourishing the worldโ€, and that farmed seafood produced using its aquafeed is vital to achieving food security globally.60โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

A 2020 study in Nature found marine seafood farmingโ€™s food and nutrition claims to be โ€œempirically inaccurateโ€. It stated that high-market value carnivorous fish species such as salmon, which is farmed by Cargill, โ€œremain inaccessible to low-income consumers and the food-insecureโ€.61Ben Belton, et al., โ€œFarming fish in the sea will not nourish the world,โ€ Nature Communications, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19679-9 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The majority of CQNโ€™s feed is for salmon and trout,62โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. which are mostly farmed and consumed in the Global North.63โ€œSalmon farming industry handbook 2019,โ€ Mowi. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 64Chatham House. โ€œResource Trade,โ€ Resource Trade, 2020. Archived .xls on file at DeSmog. CQN partly owns Chilean salmon producer Multi X, which sells 60 percent of its salmon to the U.S.65โ€œMulti X annual report 2023,โ€ Multi X. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

CQN also uses a large amount of fishmeal and fish oil made from human-edible fish. In 2023, CQN used over 1.5 million tonnes of whole wild caught fish species,66โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. most of which are suitable for human consumption.67Tim Cashion, Frรฉdรฉric Le Manach, Dirk Zeller, Daniel Pauly, โ€œMost fish destined for fishmeal production are food-grade fish,โ€ Fish and Fisheries, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12209 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog 

CQN also sources a portion of its fishmeal and fish oil from sub-Saharan Africa (see ‘Supply Chain and Sourcing of Fishmeal and Oil (West Africa)’ above), where the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found in 2022 that โ€œthe industry constitutes a threat to the livelihoods and food and nutrition security of local communitiesโ€.68Thiao, D. & Bunting, S.W. โ€œSocio-economic and biological impacts of the fish-based feed industry for Sub-Saharan Africa,โ€ FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1236, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7990en. Archived August 8, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

A report from Partner Africa, commissioned by the industry-led Global Roundtable for Marine Ingredients, found in 2023 that fishmeal factories in Mauritania and Senegal had caused food insecurity, undermining the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of food, especially for poorer people, and had led to loss of work and income for women fish processors.69โ€œTrack the Fish,โ€ Partner Africa, October 2023. Archived January 9, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Use of Antibiotics in Feed and Farming

Antibiotics are frequently used in aquaculture and fish farming to prevent disease and control the growth of bacteria that can infect and kill farmed seafood.70Milva Pepi and Silvano Focardi. โ€œAntibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Aquaculture and Climate Change: A Challenge for Health in the Mediterranean Area,โ€ International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 26, 2021. Archived January 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. A 2020 study estimated that aquaculture โ€œcarries the highest use intensity [of antibiotics] per kilogram of biomassโ€ between humans, terrestrial food animals, and aquatic food animals.71Daniel Schar, Eili Y. Klein, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Marius Gilbert & Thomas P. Van Boeckel. โ€œGlobal trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture,โ€ Scientific Reports Vol 10, December 14, 2020. Archived January 26, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The use of antibiotics in farming, both on land and in aquatic environments,72Milva Pepi and Silvano Focardi. โ€œAntibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Aquaculture and Climate Change: A Challenge for Health in the Mediterranean Area,โ€ International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 26, 2021. Archived January 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. contributes to antibiotic resistance, which affects the effectiveness of antibiotics used in both humans and animals.73Daniel Schar, Eili Y. Klein, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Marius Gilbert & Thomas P. Van Boeckel. โ€œGlobal trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture,โ€ Scientific Reports Vol 10, December 14, 2020. Archived January 26, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The World Health Organisation recommends โ€œsignificantly reducingโ€ the use of antibiotics in farmed animals.74โ€œWorld leaders and experts call for significant reduction in the use of antimicrobial drugs in global food systems,โ€ World Health Organisation, August 24, 2021. Archived July 29, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aylSD

In 2023, 2.3 percent of CQNโ€™s salmonid feed contained antibiotics, an overall 64.1 percent decrease from 2017. However, there are large regional variations, with antibiotic feed sales rising to nearly 8 percent in Canada and Chile. The former saw a  277 percent increase in antibiotic feed sales between 2017 and 2023.75โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2021, Multi X, the Chilean salmon farming giant part-owned by Cargill, launched an โ€œultra-premiumโ€ brand of farmed salmon grown without the use of antibiotics.76โ€œMulti X introduces Arka, Worldโ€™s first salmon brand with a full line of ultra-premium, raised without antibiotics salmon,โ€ Multi X, November 2021. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hftGe However, across all of its salmon production, in 2023 Multi Xโ€™s antibiotic use increased by 30 percent year-on-year.77 โ€œMulti X annual report 2023,โ€ Multi X. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. In 2023, 82 percent of the antibiotics used by Multi X were ranked as โ€œhigh medical importance for human medicineโ€ by the WHO.78โ€œMulti X annual report 2023,โ€ Multi X. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Salmon Welfare, Mortality, and Illness

Multi X has been criticised for high levels of salmon mortality, exceeding salmon production limits (legal limits set my national regulators), and poor salmon welfare, as well as for using chemicals toxic to humans to treat salmon diseases. 

Overall, Multi Xโ€™s mortality rate was over 9 percent in 2023, which represented over 2.3 million fish, the second highest mortality count on Chilean salmon farms in 2023.79John Evans, โ€œThis company led all Chilean salmon farmers in mortality losses for 2023,โ€ Intrafish, September 16, 2024. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog

In February 2023, Multi X was accused by the Chilean environmental agency Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (SMA) of breaching salmon production limits,80 John Evans, โ€œChile salmon farmers Nova Austral, Multi X face millions in fines for overproduction,โ€ February 27, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. which are in place to control the levels of nutrients in water that can deprive aquatic life of oxygen.81โ€œFarmed Salmon,โ€ World Wildlife Fund. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VTvEb 

Multi X exceeded limits by more than 13 percent at its site in the Las Guaitecas National Reserve in the Aysen region, a protected wildlife area in Chile.82John Evans, โ€œChile salmon farmers Nova Austral, Multi X face millions in fines for overproduction,โ€ February 27, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

In response to these allegations, Multi X said that it has โ€œ[committed] to regulatory compliance throughout its history and the sustainable development of the activity.โ€83John Evans, โ€œChile salmon farmers Nova Austral, Multi X face millions in fines for overproduction,โ€ February 27, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

In May 2022, low oxygen conditions led to a mass mortality event on Multi Xโ€™s farms, killing 250,000 fish at one of its sites.84Christian Molinari, โ€œMulti X mortality event revised downward by 50,000 fish,โ€ SeafoodSource, May 31, 2022. Archived April 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pmZyR In March 2023, low oxygen conditions again led to a mass mortality event, which killed another 30,000 fish.85John Evans, โ€œLow oxygen chokes off 30,000 fish at Chile salmon farmer Multi X,โ€ Intrafish, March 23, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In response to the mortality event, Multi X said “Once the mortality started we activated all the protocols fulfilling the requirements of the authorities”.86John Evans, โ€œLow oxygen chokes off 30,000 fish at Chile salmon farmer Multi X,โ€ Intrafish, March 23, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Sea lice infestations are another common cause of death for farmed salmon.87โ€œAtlantic Salmon (Salmo salar),โ€ Compassion in World Farming. Archived August 29, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. For 10 months of 2023, Multi Xโ€™s sea lice count was high. For every salmon, there was at least one pregnant louse (gravid) which lay hundreds of eggs every few weeks.88โ€œMulti X, Chile,โ€ Global Salmon Initiative, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RwQRA 

Sea lice treatments can also be traumatic and deadly to farmed salmon. Multi Xโ€™s delouses salmon with hydrogen peroxide89โ€œMulti X annual report 2023,โ€ Multi X. Archived September 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. โ€“ a chemical deadly to fish at high concentrations and one of the riskiest treatments.90Kathy Overton, et al., โ€œThe use and effects of hydrogen peroxide on salmon lice and post-smolt Atlantic salmon,โ€ Aquaculture, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2017.12.041 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Multi X uses other dangerous and toxic chemicals to treat other salmon diseases. In 2022, Multi X was criticised by Chileโ€™s environment agency SMA for using formaldehyde and lufenuron to treat disease on salmon farms.91โ€œMulti X runs afoul of Chilean regulations,โ€ Salmon Business, July 4, 2022. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/BGUXm Formaldehyde is โ€œhighly toxicโ€ to humans,92โ€œMedical Management Guidelines for Formaldehyde,โ€ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. according to the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, while lufenuron can cause convulsions.93โ€œLucefuron,โ€ World Health Organisation. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The SMA has warned that the use of both chemicals could alter the biodiversity of the estuary around the salmon sites.94โ€œMulti X runs afoul of Chilean regulations,โ€ Salmon Business, July 4, 2022. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/BGUXm

As well as fish oil and fishmeal from wild-caught species, CQNโ€™s fish feed is made up of other ingredients, such as vegetable oils, animal byproducts, and soy, the production and sourcing of which has been linked to deforestation.95โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Soy makes up at least 5 percent of CQNโ€™s salmonid feeds and 20 percent of CQNโ€™s other aquafeeds. Soy has been used increasingly as a source of protein to replace fishmeal and fish oil because of lower costs and reputational risks linked to the use of wild-caught fish.96โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Cargill is one of six traders that control over half of the soy market globally.97โ€œRanking Soy Traders’ Performance on Deforestation,โ€ MightyEarth, September 2020. Archived May 23, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/1iQbh  Environmental non-profit Mighty Earth found that Cargill was one of the two largest consumers of soy linked to industrial scale deforestation in Brazil and Bolivia in 2017.98 โ€œThe Ultimate Mystery Meat,โ€ Mighty Earth, February 2017. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2018, environmental nonprofit the Rainforest Foundation Norway linked Cargill and other salmon feed producers Skretting, Mowi, Biomar, and Polar Feed/Europharma to soy farmed on deforested land in Brazil.99โ€œSalmon on soy beans โ€” Deforestation and land conflict in Brazil,โ€ Rainforest Foundation Norway, 2018. Archived November 6, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2019, Rainforest Foundation Norway and environmental non-profit Framtiden i vรฅre hender published a report that linked Cargillโ€™s soy to illegal deforestation, illegal use of pesticides, unlawful use of indigenous lands, and violent conflict in the Brazilian Cerrado.100โ€œSalmon on soy beans โ€” Deforestation and land conflict in Brazil,โ€ Norwegian Rainforest Foundation, October 2018. Archived May 23, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

CQN North Sea Communications Director Hanne Dankertsen called the report and allegations about Cargill โ€œinaccurate or misleading […] without providing insight into how assessments have been madeโ€. He added โ€œIf the Rainforest Foundation has observed illegalities in an area where Cargill operates, it does not mean that the illegal activities take place in Cargillโ€™s supply chain.”101Bent-Are Jensen, โ€œNGO calls on Norwegian salmon farmers, retailers to boycott Cargill over Amazon deforestation,โ€ Intrafish, November 23, 2020. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Cargill continued to source soy farmed on recently deforested land in Brazil in 2020, according to environmental non-profit Trase.102โ€œBrazil soy supply chain,โ€ Trase. Archived November 11, 2024. Archived .xls on file at DeSmog. 

In November 2023, Cargill announced its goal to eliminate Brazilian, Argentinian, and Uruguayan deforestation and land conversion in its soy supply chains by 2025.103โ€œCargill Announces Commitment to Eliminate Deforestation and Land Conversion in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay by 2025,โ€ Cargill, November 27, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archive URL:  https://archive.ph/2hBX7 Cargill has also stated its commitment to eliminate links to deforestation from all its agricultural supply chains by 2030.104โ€œProtecting Forests,โ€ Cargill. Archived June 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/0WdS4 

Carbon Footprint

The aquaculture industry uses its carbon footprint โ€“ which is low compared to that of beef and lamb โ€“ to market itself as sustainable.105Hannah Ritchie, โ€œYou want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local,โ€ Our World in Data, January 24, 2020. Archived November 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HPbCJ 106 โ€œSustainable Aquaculture,โ€ Cargill. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/75f24  

There is evidence that farmed carnivorous fish like salmon will always be higher emitting than eating small pelagic fish directly, due to the high carbon footprint of ingredients in fish feed such as soy.107Gephart J.A. et al. โ€œEnvironmental performance of blue foods,โ€ Nature, September 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03889-2 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. A 2022 paper in academic journal Nature ranked farmed salmon and trout among the higher emitting categories of seafood.108Bianchi et al. โ€œAssessing seafood nutritional diversity together with climate impacts informs more comprehensive dietary advice,โ€ Nature Communications Earth and Environment, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00516-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog

CQNโ€™s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 30 percent since 2017.109โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog In 2023, it reported its total Scope 1 and 2 emissions (those released directly or indirectly by its all its feed operations)110โ€œScope 1 emissions,โ€ Climate Partner. Archived June 20, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yKVE5 111โ€œScope 2 emissions,โ€ Climate Partner. Archived July 14, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LzARL to be over 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). In this period, its emissions intensity (emissions per volume of food produced) also increased, by 16 percent.112โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog 

In 2021, CQN launched its SeaFurther Sustainability programme,113Jane Byrne, โ€œLess is more: Cargill project looks to make salmon production more sustainable,โ€ FeedNavigator, March 2, 2021. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9RcEe which focuses on raising โ€œmore sustainable seafood with less environmental impactโ€. By 2030 it aims to reduce emissions intensity by 30 percent per tonne of food. It estimates that the programme will reduce the companyโ€™s emissions by two billion kilograms of carbon dioxide by 2030, โ€œequivalent to removing 400,000 cars from the roadโ€.114โ€œSeaFurther Sustainability,โ€ Cargill. Archived September 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Ig107 

CQN reported on its โ€œemissions intensityโ€ for Scope 3 emissions (from its entire supply chain) for salmonid feeds as 1.89 tonnes CO2e per tonne of feed in 2023.115 โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog Based on this figure, using CQNโ€™s salmonid feed production volumes, DeSmog estimated CQNโ€™s total salmonid feed emissions as 2 million tonnes of CO2e in 2023, a 5 percent increase year-on-year.116CQN produced 1,099,863 tonnes of salmonid feed in 2023, with a carbon intensity of 1.83 CO2e per tonne feed. โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog

The UN High Level Expert Group on net zero commitments encourages companies to focus on reducing absolute emissions rather than focusing on reducing emissions intensity, to avoid companies scaling up production despite increased efficiency.117โ€œIntegrity Matters: Net zero commitments by businesses, financial institutions, cities and regions,โ€ United Nationsโ€™ Highโ€‘Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities. Archived September 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

Lobbying

CQN engages in lobbying activities in a number of countries where it has major operations and subsidiaries, including the U.S., Scotland, and the EU.

Lobbying in the U.S.

Through CQN, Cargill is a voting member of the aquaculture industry group Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) which represents companies including food manufacturer giant Sysco and the worldโ€™s largest meat company JBS.118โ€œAquaculture: Our Members,โ€ Stronger America Through Seafood. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/W9fL5 

SATS aims to increase U.S. consumption of farmed seafood. On its website it characterises the U.S. aquaculture industry as being constrained by โ€œextraordinary regulatory hurdles, a misinformed public perception of environmental impact, and limited capital investment to improve the technology.โ€119โ€œAquaculture: Stronger America Through Seafood,โ€ Stronger America Through Seafood. Archived September 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Ec6iS 

SATS representatives met with congressional offices in the U.S. House and Senate in April 2022 โ€œto advocate for the expansion of the American fish farming industry through offshore aquacultureโ€.120โ€œStronger America Through Seafood Hosts Legislative Fly-In, Advocates for Expansion of Offshore Aquaculture,โ€ Stronger America Through Seafood. Archived February 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RLHrT In July 2024, SATS members including Cargill signed an open letter to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee to support growth of the U.S. aquaculture industry.121โ€œOffshore aquaculture letter of support,โ€ Stronger America Through Seafood, July 2, 2024. Archived July 10, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

The majority of U.S. farmed seafood produced is carnivorous,122โ€œU.S. Aquaculture Farms,โ€ Stronger American Through Seafood. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and uses fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild-caught fish. Local environmental pollution due to waste around fish farms and escapes of non-native salmon species has led to organised resistance to salmon farm expansion.123Miles Oโ€™brien and Kate Tobin, โ€œBurgeoning salmon farming industry sparks controversy over pollution and sustainability,โ€ PBS News, August 25, 2022. Archived July 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/w1byy 124Lora Shinn, โ€œSomething Fishy: The Trouble with Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific Northwest,โ€ NRDC, January 3, 2018. Archived June 15, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XorUf 125 โ€œHome,โ€ Donโ€™t Cage Our Oceans. Archived November 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/OTADF

Cargill spent over $1.3 million on lobbying activities in the U.S. in 2023, according to U.S. nonprofit research group OpenSecrets.126 โ€œCargill, Inc.,โ€ OpenSecrets. Archived July 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ovEch

Lobbying in the EU

Cargill is registered with the European Transparency Register.127ย โ€œCargill,โ€ EU Transparency Registry. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ovEch The company reported spending between $320,000 and $425,000 annually and listed the main policies targeted as those relating to climate, environmental, and agricultural regulations in the EU, such as the EU Green Deal.128โ€œCargill,โ€ LobbyFacts. Archived May 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TLQbM

Cargill is a member of the animal feed trade group European Feed Manufacturersโ€™ Federation (FEFAC), which spent between $210,000 and $315,000 in 2023 lobbying the EU on topics such as the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy.129โ€œFรฉdรฉration Europรฉenne des Fabricants d’Aliments Composรฉs,โ€ Lobbyfacts. Archived August 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4yhcW

In November 2022, FEFAC and Coceral โ€“ another agribusiness trade group which Cargill is a member of โ€“ wrote a letter lobbying to weaken a draft EU law that proposed banning food imports linked to deforestation, five days ahead of the international climate change conference COP26.130Arthur Neslen, โ€œAgribusiness giants tried to thwart EU deforestation plan after Cop26 pledge,โ€ The Guardian, March 4, 2022. Archived July 14, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/gBnmd Neither FEFAC nor Coceral have specific policies on aquaculture on their websites, but FEFAC states its ambition to โ€œcontribute to climate-neutral livestock and aquaculture production through feedโ€.131โ€œFeed Sustainability Charter: Sustainability Report 2024,โ€ FEFAC. Archived October 1, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Soy โ€“ a key ingredient in CQNโ€™s fish feeds132โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog โ€“ is one of three main products driving global deforestation, which is a major driver of climate change.133Baccini et al., โ€œEstimated carbon dioxide emissions from tropical deforestation improved by carbon-density maps,โ€ Nature Climate Change, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1354. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 134โ€œDrivers of Deforestation,โ€ Our World in Data. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zbBvi

Lobbying in Scotland

CQN is a member of Salmon Scotland, a Scottish lobby group representing salmon farmers and feed producers. Scottish investigative outlet The Ferret  reported that Salmon Scotland met with members of the Scottish government over 20 times in 2023, mostly to discuss sea lice limits and reducing regulations around obtaining salmon farm licences.135Rob Edwards, โ€œRevealed: the salmon industryโ€™s โ€˜outrageousโ€™ lobbying,โ€ The Ferret, April 2, 2024. Archived April 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/uzzwy 

Salmon Scotland also successfully lobbied in 2023 against the expansion of Highly-Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in Scotland,136 โ€œThe Fight Against HPMAs,โ€ Salmon Scotland. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VE2ly which would have prevented human activity on 10 percent of the Scottish coastline by 2026 in order to protect marine wildlife.137Angus Cochrane, โ€œWhy are Highly Protected Marine Areas so controversial?,โ€ BBC, June 29, 2023. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OJGeK Salmon Scotland said that HPMAs expansion would โ€œput jobs in already fragile coastal communities at risk and there was no scientific justification to support the introduction of HPMAs.โ€138โ€œThe Fight Against HPMAs,โ€ Salmon Scotland. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VE2ly

Affiliations 

In addition to the lobby groups above, Cargill has affiliations and partnerships with numerous organisations that have been accused by campaigners of greenwashing and pushing to weaken fisheries management. 

CQN is a member of fishmeal and fish oil trade group IFFO,139โ€œOur members,โ€ IFFO. Archived August 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/grYtz a marine ingredients industry group that represents fish farmers, aquafeed producers, and fish oil traders, among others.140โ€œAbout IFFO,โ€ IFFO. Archived August 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xrmQL 

IFFOโ€™s principal objective is โ€œreputation managementโ€.141โ€œInternational Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation: 50th Anniversary,โ€ IFFO. Archived January 18, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 142โ€œIFFO code of conduct,โ€ IFFO. Archived January 25, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1bS4H 143 It claims that the fishmeal and fish oil industry faces โ€œmuch negative and unfair criticismโ€144โ€œResponding to our critics,โ€ IFFO. Archived August 11, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and works to counter โ€œnegative messaging, exaggeration and misinformationโ€.145Jane Byrne. โ€œIFFO technical director: โ€˜The fishmeal and fish oil industry is no longer the whipping boy of the feed ingredient worldโ€™,โ€ FeedNavigator, June 2, 2023. Archived August 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hB2Uv 146โ€œIFFO hits back over feed contest’s ‘misinformation’,โ€ Fishfarming Expert, February 24, 2018. Archived August 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/lYl9f It also aims to demonstrate that the marine ingredients industry is necessary for โ€œfeeding a growing world population, sustainably and responsiblyโ€.147โ€œAbout IFFO,โ€ IFFO. Archived July 28, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xrmQL

Cargill is a member of the Global Roundtable on Marine Ingredients,148โ€œOur Members,โ€ The Global Roundtable on Marine Ingredients. Archived August 27, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/7GOok an industry group whose members include marine ingredients lobby group IFFO, food corporations, and feed companies. 

Established in 2021, the Roundtable has said its aim is to โ€œtackle a range of pressing environmental and social challengesโ€, gather evidence-based information on the industryโ€™s impacts, contribute to discussions, and โ€œincrease the availability of sustainable marine ingredientsโ€.149โ€œSustainable Fisheries Partnership and IFFO launch new Global Roundtable to improve and increase the availability of sustainable marine ingredients,โ€ IFFO, October 18, 2021. Archived July 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TE1SY 

However, the Roundtable is dominated by animal feed and fishmeal and fish oil companies that currently source from West Africa, and has been criticised by campaigners and academics, who have called it โ€œan industry body that is there to protect [the industryโ€™s] interestsโ€.150Brigitte Wear, Hazel Healy and Michaela Herrmann, โ€œRevealed: Industry-led West Africa Fishery Protection Measures Marred By โ€˜Massive Conflicts of Interestโ€™,โ€ DeSmog, July 4, 2024. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8ocYb 

Employees at CQN sit on the social and ethical committee and the governing body committee of fishmeal and fish oil certification programme MarinTrust โ€“ an international certification programme for marine ingredients, which was founded by trade group IFFO.151โ€œSocial and Ethical Committee,โ€ MarinTrust. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL:https://archive.ph/svHqt 152โ€œGoverning Body Committee,โ€ MarinTrust. Archived October 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Gm1DQ The presence of feed producers like CQN on MarinTrustโ€™s multiple standards committees has been criticised by campaigners and academics as a โ€œmassive conflict of interestโ€.153Brigitte Wear, Hazel Healy and Michaela Herrmann, โ€œRevealed: Industry-led West Africa Fishery Protection Measures Marred By โ€˜Massive Conflicts of Interestโ€™,โ€ DeSmog, July 4, 2024. Archived July 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8ocYb 

Cargill is a partner and funder of multiple Fisheries Improvement Projects, including the Mauritanian small pelagics Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP).154โ€œMauritanian small pelagics – purse seine,โ€ FisheryProgress. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

CQN was a member of the committee responsible for developing the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)โ€™s Feed Standard, which launched in 2023.155โ€œOur Stakeholders,โ€ Cargill. Archived November 22, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Kda9a The ASC programme certifies aquaculture companies for operating โ€œresponsiblyโ€ in alignment with ASC standards. CQN states that it is now working towards being certified against the ASCโ€™s Feed Standard. CQN also lists the ASC as a partner on their website.156 โ€œCargill Aqua Nutrition annual report,โ€ Cargill, 2023. Archived August 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 157 โ€œAquaculture Partnerships & Collaboration,โ€ Cargill. Archived June 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IP1A1

Related Profiles

Background Norwegian multinational Skretting is the worldโ€™s largest fish feed producer.Tuong Nguyen, โ€œWorldโ€™s largest fish feed maker opens second plant in Vietnam,โ€ The Investor, November 21, ...
Background Formerly known as the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization, IFFO is a trade group that represents the interests of the marine ingredients industry. Headquartered in Lo...
Background The Meat Institute (formerly North American Meat Institute (NAMI)) is an industry group representing U.S. meat and poultry processing and packing companies, as well as their supplier...
U.S. Grains Council Background The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is a trade association that โ€œdevelops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related productsโ€ including dried grains...