Correspondence
Email sent to Eva Due Ditlevsen, Forwarding Coordinator at Sirena Group.
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 a company engaged in such practices and a supplier in your supply chain - Yantai Sanko.
Trade records show that Sirena Group has imported shipments of seafood from a supplier called Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd., based in China. Yantai Sanko Fisheries Co. Ltd. has received persons from the Xinjiang region of China under a state- imposed labor transfer program since 2019 and until at least April 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. The U.S. has prohibited the importation of goods produced from state-imposed forced labor. Sirena Group’s website features a customer testimonial from Lyons Seafoods - has Sirena supplied Lyons with any seafood sourced through Yantai Sanko Fisheries?
Does Sirena Group have any comment or clarification to make in response to this email? Please let me know by close of business on August 7, 2023."
Boe Spurré, CEO of Sirena Group, emailed: "We haven’t had any transaction with the below company since 2017."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "We've obtained trade data indicating that Sirena A/S has imported at least 6 shipments of frozen pollock fillets direct from Yantai Sanko Fisheries since the plant is known to have started using Uyghur forced labor. The earliest of these shipments was November 7, 2019, and the most recent was March 12, 2022. Could you confirm whether Sirena A/S is familiar with these shipments? Please let me know by close of business on August 8, 2023."
Boe Spurré, CEO of Sirena Group, responded: "Frozen pollock filets is not one of our core species – what is the source of this information?"
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "The source of our information is partial trade data, comprising bills of lading showing Sirena A/S importing pollock from Yantai Sanko Fisheries, and featuring the Sirena A/S address ██████████ and fax number ████. We require any comment or clarification from Sirena A/S as well as a response to our query about Lyon's Seafoods by close of business today, August 9, 2023."
Boe Spurré, CEO of Sirena Group, replied: "I still need clarification from where this data was obtained as the data mentioned below is mostly data which can be found on our website."
The Outlaw Ocean Project replied: "The data was provided by customs authorities, via a global trade data company. As mentioned in our previous email, the earliest shipment from Yantai Sanko to your company - according to this partial trade data - was on November 7, 2019, and the most recent was March 12, 2022. We can provide dates of other shipments if that's helpful, as well as ports of embarkation and destination for the various shipments. Do you intend to respond to our enquiries? Although our deadline expired yesterday, we'd be happy to extend it to close of business August 11, 2023 to accommodate your reply. Please do let us know."