Ecobreves – CHILE: Labor Risks on Salmon Farms Denounced

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

SANTIAGO, Nov 3 2007 (IPS) - Environmental and workers' organizations have criticized the labor conditions of the salmon farms and processing plants during the “Global Week of Action” of the Pure Salmon Campaign, celebrated Oct. 29-Nov. 2 in seven countries, including Chile. “We are trying to raise public awareness in Chile about three of the industry's characteristics: the high accident rate, the great number of diver deaths (one per month), and what is known as the conversion rate (eight kilograms of other fish needed to produce one kg of salmon),” Flavia Liberona, head of the Terram Foundation, told Tierramérica.

According to the Chilean Safety Association, the proportion of labor accidents in the salmon industry is 10.62 percent, higher than the average of all sectors affiliated with the association, which is 6.6 percent.