Are you selling diseased salmon as “responsible"? Tasmanian communities confront Woolworths AGM

34% of shareholders defied the Woolworths Board and voted at the AGM in favour of a resolution requiring Woolworths to report on the impact of its farmed salmon on threatened species. This is a strong increase on the 30% vote to help Save the Skate at last year's Woolworth's AGM, and the highest vote on a nature-based resolution for the 2025 AGM season globally.

In response to NOFF campaigner Jess Coughlan calling out the supermarket giant on misleading labelling of farmed seafood, Woolworths Group chairman Scott Perkins dodged questions on sourcing Tasmanian farmed salmon product during a disease outbreak and extinction crisis, deferring to present Tasmanian and Federal government's management.

Shareholders and the Board of Woolworths heard from Geoff Cousins, prominent businessman and former adviser to John Howard, who challenged the chairman on the issue of reputational risk when it comes to the Board's consistent advice against shareholders voting for a "best practice" resolution.

"You've mentioned best practice many times today but when it comes to this issue you say vote against it. It's extraordinary. This, a company trying to lift itself up off the floor, is advising shareholders to vote against a resolution that might improve its reputation." - Geoff Cousins.

The public meeting also heard from scientist Dr Leonardo Guida, shark and ray expert, giving a clear and objective analysis of an IMAS report, in contrast to the cherry-picked science on the Maugean Skate population that was quoted by the Woolworths chairman.

This diverse group of voices spoke in support of Tasmania's waterways and our iconic marine species, the endangered Maugean Skate.

In defence of continuing to stock salmon farmed in Macquarie Harbour under the label "responsibly sourced", the chairman pointed to flawed third party certifications, cherry -picked science and Government spin.

He reiterated several times that the Board advised all shareholders to vote against the resolutions put forward by the SIX coalition (Neighbours of Fish Farming, Environment Tasmania, and Living Oceans) working to save the skate by addressing concerns within the supply chain of the responsibly sourced seafood policy used by Woolworths.

"The Maugean Skate will go down in history as as a totally preventable extinction crisis that was sanctioned not only by a government committed to polluting industry, but a supermarket heavyweight unable to put nature risk assessment of supply above profits" said Jess Coughlan, NOFF Campaigner. "Woolworths seafood claim is tin-eared to what is unfolding in Tasmania's polluted waterways. It's time for Woolworths to make good on their promises to customers, fully disclose nature risk, and reassess stocking of any items in their supply chain that cause harm. And the first priority must be assessing salmon farmed in Tasmania."

"Woolworths has a responsibility to ensure that their farmed seafood products, sold under their own brand as "responsible", live up to the promise of the label. If not, with all of the evidence before them, they are wilfully misleading shoppers."

The resolutions target the company's continued sourcing of farmed salmon from Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania despite the threat to the endangered Maugean skate. They have been filed jointly by ethical share trading platform SIX, and leading environmental organisations Environment Tasmania, Neighbours of Fish Farming, Living Oceans Society and Eko. The largest group of filing shareholders live in Tasmania. Super funds have been pressing the company on this issue and will continue to do so.

The resolution achieved a strong vote of 34%.

• Resolution 5b): Shareholders request that Woolworths identify and report on the impacts of farmed seafood it procures for its Own Brand products on endangered species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) List of threatened Fauna in its 2026 Sustainability Report.