Letter: GM facts ignored

Sir: Don Staniford of Friends of the Earth writes that there are no organic salmon farms in the UK (letter, 3 August). There is, in fact, organic salmon farmed in the Orkney Islands and recently certified by the Soil Association.

The organic standards cover water management, diet, animal welfare, harvesting and regard for the environment. At the hatcheries, water flows from a local burn and is pumped back cleaner than it went into the system. From the hatcheries, the salmon are reared in the strong seas where the Atlantic meets the North Sea. In both aquacultures, cleaning systems must not adversely affect the surrounding environment and hydrographic surveys must be done annually.

Our customers will soon be able to enjoy this salmon in the knowledge that the farming method will not have polluted the environment.

ROBERT DUXBURY

Technical Manager Organics

Sainsburys

London SE1