UK retailer Co-op on Tuesday abruptly changed course on a statement to suspend purchasing salmon from Mowi while investigating alleged welfare abuses, attributing the statement to an error by the manager of its Twitter account.

On Monday, Co-op announced on its official Twitter account -- which has over 170,000 followers -- that it would suspend purchasing salmon after anti-salmon farming group Scottish Salmon Watch posted videos and photos of farmed salmon purportedly filmed on July 16 and 17 at Mowi salmon farming sites.