Correspondence
Email sent to Atlantis Foods, which owns the Breco brand.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns abuses in the Chinese squid fishing and seafood processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between companies engaged in such practices and your supply chain.
The supplier Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd. is a Chishan Group company. Fishing vessels owned by the group have been observed fishing in North Korean waters in contravention of UN sanctions and fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. The group also owns at least two reefer vessels which have transshipped with dozens of fishing ships tied to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as human rights abuses.
Since 2021, Shandong Haidu has received persons from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China under the state-imposed labor transfer program.
The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment programs which use coercive methods in worker enrollment, and obstruct freedom to leave employment.
Does Atlantis Foods have any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please let me know by close of business July 19, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed: "We emailed you on July 14 regarding our latest investigation which concerns abuses in the Chinese squid fishing and seafood processing industry, and a link we discovered between companies engaged in such practices and a supplier in your supply chain called Shandong Haidu Ocean Product Co. Ltd.
Shandong Haidu is a Chishan Group company. Our investigation found that fishing vessels owned by the group have been observed fishing in North Korean waters in contravention of UN sanctions and fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. The group also owns at least two reefer vessels which have transshipped with dozens of fishing ships tied to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as human rights abuses.
Our research has also uncovered evidence that Shandong Haidu has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state-imposed labor transfer program since 2021 and as recently as May 2023. The United Nations, human rights organizations and academic experts agree that since 2018, the Chinese government has systematically subjected Xinjiang’s predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities to forced labor across the country via state-sanctioned employment programs which use coercive methods in worker enrollment, and obstruct freedom to leave employment.
Trade records viewed by The Outlaw Ocean Project show that Breco Pty Ltd was the consignee for several shipments of seafood from Shandong Haidu in 2019 and 2020.
While we recognize that you may not be aware of the above problems, we wish to ask you if Atlantis Foods/Breco has any comment or statement to make in response to this email? Is Shandong Haidu still a supplier to the company? Please let us know by close of business on September 27, 2023, noting that interactions remain on record."