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Complaint

Environment Tasmania vs. Woolworths Group

Australian supermarket’s contribution to the endangerment of Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania through its “responsibly sourced” salmon

Date filed
10 September 2025
Keywords
Countries of harm
Current status
Filed
Sector
NCP

Allegations

On 10 September 2025, Environment Tasmania filed a complaint against Woolworths Group Ltd, the largest supermarket chain in Australia, to the Australian NCP. The complaint alleges that Woolworths has not met the expectations in the OECD Guidelines regarding the company’s Own-Brand salmon sourced from Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, which is associated with severe adverse biodiversity harms to an endangered species found nowhere else in the world, the Maugean skate, and harms to an UNESCO-recognised Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. They also claim that while Woolworths’ Own-Brand salmon is marketed as ‘responsibly sourced’, it is certified by labels that do not test relevant factors associated with the environmental harms, contrary to the available scientific evidence that states salmon farms are a “very high risk” threat with “catastrophic” consequences to the Maugean skate population’s survival.

The complainants are calling on Woolworths to align its environmental due diligence policies with the responsible business expectations in the OECD Guidelines, take immediate proactive action to cease its contribution to the endangerment of the Maugean skate population by ceasing procurement of salmon from Macquarie Harbour given the severity of harm is high, and cease labelling Macquarie Harbour salmon as “responsibly sourced” and correctly inform stakeholders and the public about the potential adverse impacts of Woolworths’ salmon supply, among other things.

Relevant OECD Guidelines

More details

Defendant
Company in violation
Complainants
Affected people

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