A fish farm company has started legal action to stop an anti-salmon campaigner visiting its sites covertly.
Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) has applied to Oban Sheriff Court for a court order against Don Staniford, a high profile activist who is director of Scamon Scotland.
SSF is seeking an interim order that would prohibit Staniford and his associates from coming within 15 meters of its property, flying drones over the sites, and using underwater drones in the site areas.
The salmon company argues that Staniford’s incursions on to fish farms are unlawful, and that his conduct poses a risk to the safety and wellbeing of the company’s staff.
Staniford has agreed to temporarily stay away from Scottish Sea Farms’ facilities, it has been reported.
In the writ asking for an interdict, SSF and its lawyers write: “The defender (Staniford) will not be interdicted from lawfully acting as an environmental activist. The terms of the interdict sought do not interfere with the responsible exercise of his right to peacefully and lawfully protest.”
Scotland’s biggest salmon farmer, Mowi, was recently granted an interdict preventing Staniford from encroaching within 15 metres of its farms and buildings, and SSF is seeking a similar ban.
Staniford – a high profile activist who covertly enters fish farms to film – regularly posts photos and videos of diseased and dying fish in fish farm pens online.
But he was accused by Mowi of distorting the truth, by editing together images in a way that makes the pens look worse than they are.
Staniford will appeal against Mowi’s ban.
Photo credit iStock and Richard Johnson
The fish farms don’t want anyone to see the bad husbandry of their fish, so they try to stop anyone getting close enough to see what is happening, hence their asking for an interdict to stop someone willing to swim out and see what is happening. Time for fish farms to be onshore.