In 2021, Faroe Islands-based salmon-farming firm Bakkafrost received a DKK 67 million (USD 10.5 million, EUR 9 million) fine after the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority reported the firm to the police for several alleged animal welfare violations.
Now, five years later, the company has been officially charged with only one of the less serious allegations the authority levied against it.
According to Faroese police, Bakkafrost has been charged with two violations of sailing to its aquaculture facilities without securing necessary authorization from the veterinary authority. The allegation to which it has been charged could lead to a fine of up to DKK 1 million (USD 153,000, EUR 134,000).
The island’s police force explained in a press release that some of the other allegations from the veterinary authority concerned how sea lice were counted at the company's facilities. According to Faroese regulations, all salmon-farming companies are required to regularly count the sea lice on their salmon in all net-pen farms. If the number exceeds a certain benchmark, the Faroese Food and Veterinary Authority can require a company to take specific actions, including culling salmon in a specific fjord.
According to the police, the allegations regarding sea lice were not pursued either because they could not meet the burden of proof or because the cases were statute-barred, leaving only the allegation of lack of communication when sailing to its net pens standing.
“We are pleased that there finally is a conclusion and that the majority of the allegations and the most serious of them will not be pursued,” Bakkafrost said in a press release.
According to Bakkafrost, the firm has never protested the facts in the only accusation that stuck, which it said occurred because the veterinary authority changed relevant procedures. However, according to the company, the proposed fine of DKK 1 million is excessive for the mistake, which it claims was only a formality and did not harm the salmon or the environment.
Since law enforcement formally announced the charge, the department has been criticized by both Bakkafrost and Faroese politicians for its slow handling of the case, which could be a topic that may even reach the floor of the Danish Parliament soon, where the largely autonomous Faroe Islands have two representatives. Denmark currently does not have a functioning government following its March elections, but one Faroese representative, Anna Falkenberg, has vowed to take the case to the Danish minister of justice as soon as a new Danish government is formed.
In the Faroe Islands, the police have also been criticized for its handling of the investigation, not only because of the slow speed at which it occurred but certain actions carried out, including the police contacting the prime minister about the case.
According to Faroese news broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya, it is highly unusual for the prime minister to be informed about the police’s investigations.
In its initial press release on the matter, the police in the Faroe Islands apologized for the length of the investigation.
