Wheesht Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 (** MOD EDIT ** - Altered title to be more reflective of topic) After hearing a company rep bluster on Radio Scotland yesterday I spent a deal of time last night reading about Young’s Seafood, who are to ship prawns to Thailand to be hand shelled, shipped all the way back to Scotland and processed before going to market in the UK. Firstly, my thoughts are strongly opinionated by the thought that this is a company taking full advantage of cheap labour in the Far East. They were paying £6.00 and hour for staff in Scotland to do the work, they will now pay £0.25 per hour for that same work. We can all, and I did for one, see this as just market forces at work etc and that the argument has always been that the British workers will find other employment and that the inward money flowing into these countries hauls many out of poverty. I don’t agree with that now. It is simply exploitation. Many of those workers will, and are ever only going to be, paid a minimum amount which will never improve their standard of living above what it is. In addition, in these days of global warming and environmental concerns, here we are shipping a very simple product all that way to have its shell removed on the cheap. I am very aware of the movement of vast swathes of manufacturing work to places like Thailand, India, China etc but it does worry me now that the pace of these trends is now going to make the speed of global warming grow very quickly. The amount of fossil fuel we burn is growing quickly and it strikes me that any political initiatives our governments take on cutting emissions within our own country is just a waste of time when we are all encouraging the mass movement of even the simplest of products around the planet like this. Lastly, I don’t know the process, perhaps someone in the fish industry could explain but does this mean that they freeze the prawns in Scotland, ship them out, thaw them out (as surely they cannot be de-shelled frozen?), freeze them again, ship them back, thaw them out, cook them then freeze them again before packing? So there you go, rant over. I for one will be considering distance from market when I shop from now on and unless I can get more from Blydoit Fish I won’t be having prawns for a starter on Christmas day this year. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I don't buy any fish product from a supermarket, which is where the above will end up. It's the most bland tasteless goo you'll ever come across. Local fishmonger all the way! I hear your points on global warming and such, but to play devils advocate will say a container ship bumbling between the UK and Thailand won't be the tipping balance! The real concern here is as you pointed out - economics of scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheesht Posted November 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I don't buy any fish product from a supermarket, which is where the above will end up. It's the most bland tasteless goo you'll ever come across. Local fishmonger all the way! I hear your points on global warming and such, but to play devils advocate will say a container ship bumbling between the UK and Thailand won't be the tipping balance! The real concern here is as you pointed out - economics of scale. Like you I buy all my fish from a fish shp, and for that matter beef etc from a butcher or direct from a man I know On your second point, one ship no but very many ships yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trout Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 (** MOD EDIT ** - Moved from another thread ) It was on the scottish news last night about a factory , owned by young's seafood somewhere down the west coast of scotland, that is being shutdown & the workers sacked because it was going to be cheaper to ship the raw materials to thailand (to be processed) & back again . It took my attention because several months ago i heard about an orkney company who process locally caught brown crab who had found it cheaper to lay of workers ship the crab to china where the meat is removed and then shipped back to orkney to be finnally made into crab paste or something similar.This is in my opinion a scandalous outrage, firstly it is enviromental madness as they reckon for every ton of raw materials that takes a journey such as this will lead to half a ton of greenhouse gas being emitted.When i shop nowadays i try and watch how far a product has travelled before i buy as it is crazy to buy lamb from new zealand or sweet potatoe from peru when they are grown much closer to home.But now if i buy some crab paste from orkney I am unaware the bloody crab has already been to china & back again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twerto Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 and all our neaps come fae new zealand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheesht Posted November 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 and all our neaps come fae new zealand Not to mention lamb??? What the folk is that about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlander Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Not that its credibility can always be relied on but the local rumour mill had it that when the Shetland Norse factory in Yell trialled canning salmon fillets several years ago it was cheaper to buy them in from Norway than to source them from their sister company across the car park who continued to gut and then ship salmon out of the isle otherwise whole. Crazy but I guess it must have made economic sense at the time. In terms of the wider picture though, if we decide to buy produce which has come half way round the world because its cheaper or tastes better then the local alternative then on our heads be it if we are helping to contribute to environmental damage, slave labour or loss of local jobs. Mightn’t be easy to quantify but perhaps ‘global footprint’ or the distance food products have travelled before getting to us should be mandatory on food packaging to allow us to make more informed decisions before we buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewMagnie Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Buggered if I know. Here in Oz, its impossible to buy any product in the supermarket that isn't labelled 'proudly manufactured ins australia' - how some of the more prosaic products on their shelves can evince pride in the hearts of the manufacturers is beyond me but thats another matter. It strikes me that this pride has rather more to do with a 'keep a cobber in a job and sod the rest' mentality than it does with any concern with food miles but it does make one's conscience rest easier on the latter count when getting the weekly errands. That is until you discover bananas are $12 a kilo because the Howard government have banned imports until such time as the Queensland growers have recovered from a hurricane this winter (your spring - ish) and you'd happily have them shipped from the moon at their old price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 I couldn't find an e-mail address on the Youngs website but they did have an 'Ask the chef' box where you could talk to them so I told them what I thought of this insanity and that I would no longer be buying any of their products (not that I did anyway). I would like to encourage everyone else to do the same. If we don't let them know what we think of this stupidity then it will only spread and the next closure might be LFT or the Catch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMouth Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Simple answer - Leave the Youngs products on the shelf. The supermarket will soon get the hint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marjolein Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 The Coop stocks Shetland smokehouse though doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 I got the following reply from Young's propaganda officer: Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for taking the time to contact us to express your concern regarding the recent news about Young’s plans to ship langoustine to Thailand for hand peeling, and the subsequent loss of jobs at our Annan site. I am sure you are aware that this issue received considerable media attention last week however the coverage included a number of inaccuracies about the situation. We would like to take this opportunity to correct these inaccuracies and state the facts, especially with regard to the proposed shipments to Thailand. The twice-monthly shipments to Thailand will be by standard container vessel, not air. This shipping method has the least environmental impact. We will not commission special transports but use scheduled shipping lines, which carry other goods between the Far East and UK on a regular basis. Only shipping Companies that demonstrate full compliance with the current EU legislation regarding energy efficiency and CO² emissions will be used. The total volume of scampi that Young’s will send to Thailand is expected to be between 400-600 tonnes per annum. This will require just two container shipments a month. The carbon emissions generated by the planned Young’s shipments are estimated to be around 200 tonnes per annum (not thousands of tonnes as quoted in some media). Scampi tails are always matured in freezer storage for three weeks before peeling. At present this happens in cold storage in the UK, in future it will happen during transport to Thailand. We believe that the carbon emissions of the transport will be roughly equal to those produced by maturing in freezers in the UK. By sending the prawns to the Far East, the shells can be used for the manufacture of fish feed, or for extraction of a natural substance called chitin which is used in traditional medicines. When we peel in the UK, health and safety legislation requires us to dispose of the waste shells by incineration, which generates further emissions. This decision was made because of the improved quality it brings to our Scampi. We have spent two years trying to improve our product quality and in research, 70% of people preferred the hand peeled product. We firmly believe scampi produced using hand peeling makes the most of the fantastic quality of our Scottish Langoustine. This has been an extremely difficult decision for Young’s, however this change forms part of our wider plan to grow the whole market for scampi and langoustine. We thank you for taking the time to express your views and we will consider them fully in our decision making process. Additional information is available on our website at www.youngsseafood.co.uk, but should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours sincerely Janice HowlettConsumer Care ManagerYoung’s Seafoods Ltd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabiaTerra Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 And I replied thus: Thank you for your 'explanation' of your insane decision to ship fish to thailand and back to avoid the labour costs here in Scotland. However I have to point out a few inconsistencies in your answer. You say: ' Scampi tails are always matured in freezer storage for three weeks before peeling. At present this happens in cold storage in the UK, in future it will happen during transport to Thailand. We believe that the carbon emissions of the transport will be roughly equal to those produced by maturing in freezers in the UK.' To freeze the fish for 3 weeks in Scotland uses a set amount of energy. The same amount of energy is used to freeze the fish on the ship to Thailand. In addition to this is the energy cost of moving the containers to Thailand and back. The transport costs incurred are entirely additional to any storage costs incurred in Scotland. You say: ' By sending the prawns to the Far East, the shells can be used for the manufacture of fish feed, or for extraction of a natural substance called chitin which is used in traditional medicines. When we peel in the UK, health and safety legislation requires us to dispose of the waste shells by incineration, which generates further emissions.' If UK Health and Safety law says these byproducts must be disposed off in a certain way, that is because to do anything else with them is dangerous. Not only do you intend to ship the fish to Thailand, but you also intend to dump your poisonous waste in Thailand as well! You say: 'This decision was made because of the improved quality it brings to our Scampi. We have spent two years trying to improve our product quality and in research, 70% of people preferred the hand peeled product. We firmly believe scampi produced using hand peeling makes the most of the fantastic quality of our Scottish Langoustine.' This is not an arguement for shipping the fish to the other side of the world and back, it is an arguement for paying Scottish workers to hand peel the fish in Scotland. Why don't you admit the truth. This decision was made on purely commercial grounds because it is cheaper to sack Scottish workers and use cheap far-eastern labour than it is to pay Scots a decent wage to do the work here. Well, you've made your decision, and I have decided never to buy any of your products again. I wish you no success in your new venture and I hope the people of Scotland drive your company out of business because of this. YoursArabiaTerra P.S Why don't you sack yourselves and employ Thai managers? I'm sure it would save you money. [/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 NICE ONE ARABIATERRA!!! This is something that any body who has any sense of duty/ respect to both the enviroment and the working class , could do there bit to bring this madness to an end. tell all your friends and associates about it , spread the word to boycott companies that do this, put pressure on politicians who are happy to sprout off about there green credentials to do something , REALLY DO SOMETHING !! for a change. Youngs is off the menu in this household and every other house hold i will convince. Also that bit about the enforced incineration of prawn shell is probably another area of insanity dreamed up by some twat who works for health and safety , but thats a whole new debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowe Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 P.S Why don't you sack yourselves and employ Thai managers? I'm sure it would save you money. [/i] Nice line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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