Winslet adds her voice to film about farm-reared fish and meat
ACTRESS Kate Winslet is to narrate a film on what some critics say is another marine disaster – the impact of farmed salmon.
Meanwhile, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has said it was paid more than £500,000 by Scottish salmon farmers for membership of an ethical food scheme.
The documentary, Eating Our Way To Extinction, champions a plant-based lifestyle and warns that dependence on farm-reared fish and meat poses a threat to human health and the planet.
Directed by Otto and Ludo Brockway, the nephews of Sir Richard Branson, it promises to be a huge success after a short “taster” clip released by the brothers on Facebook was heavily promoted by actor Leonardo Dicaprio. It went viral, with more than 25 million views.
The Brockways, who are based in London, travelled to countries such as Brazil and Switzerland to explore the effects of animal farming.
They visited salmon farms in the Highlands last May and some footage captured with a drone and submersible camera has made the film’s final cut, according to sources close to the production.
Farmed salmon were filmed in cages at Quarry Point, in Loch Fyne, Argyll, where thousands of fish were suffocated by an algal bloom a month earlier.
Dead fish piled in a skip at Strondoir Bay, also in Loch Fyne, were caught on camera and a controversial machine known as a thermolicer that heats water to kill sea lice was filmed at Mowi’s farm in Loch Leven, Inverness-shire.
Footage was taken at Loch Creran in Argyll, where salmon are reared by Scottish Sea Farms, and the crew also visited Europe’s largest fishing port in Peterhead, on the north-east coast of Scotland.
The film is expected to be released within months amid recent claims by the Brockways of positive feedback from test screenings.
“We feel we have a powerful film that will become a great tool to inspire and educate millions of people to the impact animal agriculture has on our beautiful planet,” they said.
The RSPCA, meanwhile, has admitted receiving £500,000 this year from Scottish salmon farmers who have signed up to RSPCA Assured
– a food label dedicated to farm animal welfare.
The disclosure has triggered fresh criticism of the RSPCA for supporting salmon farming. The charity said the scheme benefits tens of millions of fish every year, with members subject to inspections to ensure minimal suffering of animals.