CP Foods Slams Blackchin Tilapia Misinformation, Cites Reputation Damage

(CTN News) – Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CP Foods) has found “misleading” photographs and remarks about blackchin tilapia on public forums, generating confusion and harming the company’s reputation.

“These false claims have been widely shared, resulting in significant damage to the company,” Kobboon Srichai, CP Foods’ head of corporate relations, said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The speaker was responding to an online article by the BioThai Foundation and assertions made at a recent seminar about the proliferation of invasive fish throughout Thailand.

Department of Fisheries and CPF’s Role in Blackchin Tilapia Spread Unclear

The question of whether CPF contributed to the spread of blackchin tilapia has sparked debate. It admits that it imported the fish from Ghana for research in December 2010, with clearance from the Department of Fisheries. However, it abandoned the project a month later after they became weakened and died.

CPF stated that all of the fish were disposed of using approved means, with samples and documentation given to the department. The department has stated that it did not receive the documents in question.

The fish, which prey on a variety of native species, have been spotted in at least 16 provinces. The department’s DNA testing indicate that they are from the same parent stock, although it is unclear whether the parent stock is linked to the fish originally imported by CPF.

Ms Kobboon of CPF, on the other hand, stated that one image distributed by BioThai fraudulently depicts the condition of a fish pond used for raising blackchin tilapia from 2011-14 at the company’s breeding centre in Tambon Yisan of Amphawa district in Samut Songkhram province.

“Another image falsely claims to show the selection of blackchin tilapia eggs for breeding at the Yisan farm,” according to her. “In fact, the location depicted is not the Yisan farm, and the activities shown do not align with the company’s practices.”

CP Foods stated that it was actively working on five cooperation projects to help solve problems, including a collaboration with the Department of Fisheries to harvest and release sea bass fry in locations where fish populations had declined significantly.

CP Foods recently collaborated with the Samut Songkhram provincial fisheries office and has been asked by numerous universities to conduct research on food product creation and long-term fish population control.

Ms Kobboon highlighted that CP Foods is committed to working with relevant agencies “to establish the truth based on factual evidence”.

“The company will also protect its reputation against the use of false information and images intended to mislead the public,” she explained, adding that legal action is being explored.

Source: Bangkok Post