Correspondence
Email sent to Steven Corbeil, President, and Ian Kimak, Operations Manager of Premier Marine Canada.
The email said: "I’m contacting you in light of our latest investigation which concerns the use of forced labor in China’s food processing industry, and a link we’ve discovered between companies engaged in such practices and your supply chain.
Your suppliers Rizhao Meijia Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd. and Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd. are Meijia Group companies. The Meijia Group 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 schemes which use coercive methods in worker enrollment and obstruct freedom to leave employment.
Does Premier Marine Canada have any comment or statement to make in light of the above information? Please respond to this email by close of business May 26, 2023."
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed Steven Corbeil, President, and Ian Kimak, Operations Manager of Premier Marine Canada, saying: "We emailed you in May 2023 regarding the findings of our investigation into abuses in China’s seafood industry. We are contacting you again now with further findings we wanted to bring to your attention as they relate to Premier Marine Canada’s supply chain.
Trade records show that Premier Marine Canada was the consignee for shipments of seafood from a processor called Yantai Sanko Fisheries in 2019. Yantai Sanko has received persons transferred from Xinjiang under the state-sponsored program referred to in our email dated May 24, 2023. We have uncovered evidence of Uyghurs working at Yantai Sanko’s plant since early 2019 and as recently as April 2023.
Does Premier Marine Canada have any comment or statement to make in light of this, or our previous, email? Please let us know by close of business on September 21, 2023, noting that all interactions remain on record."
Keith Shadlock, Director of Marketing at PMC, replied: "Thank you for reaching out to us regarding this important matter. After a review of our records, we see that our last shipment from Yantai Sanko Fisheries was in 2019, 1 container. We have not done business with them since and have no plans to do business with them in the future. "
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thank you so much for replying so quickly to my email, really appreciate your engagement on this issue and that clarification.
We sent an email, dated May 24, to Premier Marine Canada regarding the processors Rizhao Meijia Aquatic Foodstuff Co. Ltd. and Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff Co. Ltd. Trade records show shipments of seafood from Rizhao Jiayuan to Premier Marine in 2018 and 2019, and they show several shipments from Meijia Aquatic to Premier Marine in 2022. These two processors are part of the Shandong Meijia Group, which has also received persons transferred from the Xinjiang region under that same program we referenced in relation to Yantai Sanko, since 2019 and until as recently as May 2022.
Could you confirm if Rizhao Jiayuan is still supplying seafood to Premier Marine Canada? Does Premier Marine have any comment to make regarding its supply relationship with Rizhao Meijia Aquatic? Please let us know by close of business on September 21, 2023, noting that all interactions remain on records."
Keith Shadlock, Director of Marketing at PMC, replied: "Thank you for your follow up. I understand your interest in further clarification from your previous email.
Our records indicate last shipments from any facility mentioned under the Shandong Meijia Group being 2021. We have not done business with them since and have no plans to do business with them in the future."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "Thanks for going back through those records and letting us know. The trade data we’ve seen includes shipments from Rizhao Meijia Aquatic in 2022 consigned to Premier Marine Canada. Do you have records for those 2022 shipments?"
Keith Shadlock, Director of Marketing at PMC, replied: "That information does not show in our records. For further clarification, that company is not on our approved vendor list; we are not currently doing business with them and have no plans to do business in the future. We appreciate your efforts in this matter."
Jonathan Leslie, Senior Vice President of Premier Marine Canada sent an email, saying: "Thank you for your inquiry. I received your email question and wanted to get back to you with an official statement.
Premier Marine Canada maintains a steadfast commitment to ethical labor practices within our supplier network. As an integral component of our sourcing protocol, we mandate annual social audits conducted by accredited third-party assessors for all factories directly engaged in our supply chain. Moreover, as stipulated in our prevailing policies, all current PMC packing facilities are obligated to affirm, via formal letters of attestation, their unequivocal adherence to stringent ethical labor standards throughout the supply chain.
While it bears mentioning that our association with the entities you reference has long been discontinued, we hold an unwavering dedication to addressing any credible reports of labor-related concerns. Should you possess substantiated evidence of labor issues associated with any companies, we would greatly appreciate your cooperation in sharing such information. This collaborative effort would enable us to take actions in alignment with our corporate values and responsibilities."