In Chile, indigenous communities have demonstrated against Norwegian companies for many decades. I took the flight.
Nova Austral responds to criticism at the bottom of the issue.
The Norwegian agricultural industry has been in the public spotlight in the past year, at least that happening on home soil. I traveled to the other side of the globe – to Chile – where indigenous communities along the entire coast have been demonstrating against Norwegian companies for decades.
The trip started in Puerto Montt. The city marks not only the beginning of Patagonia, but also the beginning of a Norwegian-Chilean salmon adventure. In 2007 A virus has been detected At a breeding facility owned by the Norwegian company Cermak, it likely came from Norwegian salmon eggs.
Forced slaughter and mass demobilization
Poor environmental standards meant the virus spread at record speed. The result was a forced massacre and mass layoffs, affecting the entire industry and the Chilean economy. Raised by oxygen-poor fjords and rotting salmon Massive algae bloom In the area, poisoning the sea and killing almost all marine life. After this crisis, the salmon industry realized it was time to find cooler, cleaner seas to enjoy them – and began expanding south.
This does not mean that they left the region completely, as some facilities remained and contributed to new scandals. as 690,000 salmon escaped from the Marine Harvest facility In 2018 in one of the largest mass escapes in Chilean salmon history. After that, Marine Harvest changed its name to Mowi – another Norwegian company.
From Puerto Montt I headed south to a small island north of the Guayticas Nature Reserve. Within a few hours I was able to see penguins, blue whales and sea lions. But most important of all – the effects of the agricultural industry. Blower and large boxes. An entire cage washed up on shore. More than 300 salmon concessions have been granted in this nature reserve, and the industry is applying for more and more.
He faced angry protesters
Lonko Daniel, a local indigenous leader, took me on a boat trip. Huge salmon nets float in every strait. “We were diving there looking for sea urchins,” he said, pointing toward the Moi facilities.
Like the salmon companies, I went to Punta Arenas, one of the southernmost cities in the world. In 2019, the royal couple was on an official visit to Chile and here locals showed up for a demonstration against the farming of Norwegian salmon in their areas. No wonder they were decisive. The headquarters of the Norwegian company Nova Austral is located here. They are responsible for one of the latest scandals in Chilean agriculture.
For several years, Nova Austral has been producing more salmon at its facilities Which allowed them to do so. The overproduction caused severe damage to the seabed in the middle of a national park, and to hide the violation and continue production, the company dumped a new seabed on top of the old one before conducting the environmental inspection.
It's no wonder the King and Queen encountered angry protesters when they traveled throughout Chile, and perhaps it's time to discuss why here at home.
Nova Austral answers:
Nova Austral has made significant efforts over several years regarding the consequences of the 2019 prosecution, including maintaining its presence in the Magallanes region of Chile. Nova Austral is one of the largest employers in the regional capital Porvenir.
Today, Nova Austral is a completely different company. Over four years ago, the company completely revamped its management, strengthened all compliance controls and created an independent whistleblowing channel. Through professional and hard work, Nova Austral has been able to regain international certifications for sustainable and environmentally friendly production that set high requirements.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
