Vega Salmon is claiming that Multiexport Foods sent salmon which was 'not fit for human consumption.' (Photo: Stock File/FIS)

Danish company sues Multiexport over inadequate salmon

A Danish-owned company has filed a lawsuit against the Chilean salmon company Multiexport Foods SA, which they have accused of having sent fish which was unfit for human consumption, rather than the premium product for which they had paid more than USD 1 million for.

Vega Salmon, a Danish firm dedicated to the marketing of salmon, purchased 300 tonnes of salmon from Multiexport with an early advance of over USD 1,170,550 between August and October last year.

With regards to the complaint filed before the Second Civil Court of Puerto Montt, the Danish company claims that once the product reached the port of Hamburg (Germany), officials who reviewed the fish warned that "due to the smell that it had, it did not correspond with the premium quality salmon that they bought," reports El Llanquihue.

The lawyer Francisco Pinochet, who is representing Vega Salmon, asked the court for preliminary measures to allow them to later sue for damages. Also, he informed that he spoke to the Embassy of Denmark in Chile in search of a solution.

As part of the legal process, a hearing was held in which the salmon company must show, among other documents, accounting books, as well as emails.

The Danes say that before initiating legal action, they attempted to reach an agreement with the authorities at Multiexport without obtaining a positive response.

According to the report by El Llanquihue, Jorgen Norgaard, representative of the Europeans, contacted officials of the Chilean salmon firm and then traveled to Puerto Montt to meet with Ricardo Grunwald, representative of the Chilean salmon company without a finding a solution.

The lawyer also said that beyond this particular case, what happened is damaging to the image of the Chilean industry, which can suffer in terms of its international image.

Given this situation, SalmonChile avoided referring to the subject. Carlos Odebret, head of the association representing employers in the sector, said that it is "not for the union to refer to particular business situations."

According to the manager of SalmonChile, they are unaware of another case with the same characteristics.

For its part, the Ecoceanos organization is concerned by the situation. The Chilean salmon industry "not only has poor health standards, but now the business of consumer confidence is also falling," they lamented in a statement.

The NGO stressed that the health crisis, environmental and social problems generated by the mass mortality of salmon infected with the virus of infectious salmon anemia (ISA), but it now joins a complaint against the sale of Multiexport salmon which is unfit for human consumption.

Multiexport exports its products to Japan, the United States, Central Europe and Russia and emerging markets like China, Korea, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The Chilean company said that last year they sold more than 18,000 tonnes of frozen products to various customers and ensured that none of them except for Vega Salmon, filed a claim.

They also acknowledged that the Danish firm had applied for compensation, which was refused as they considered it to be unjustified.

Related article:

- Danish fish producer expands into Germany

By Silvina Corniola
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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