Scottish Sea Farms wins broader site exclusion order; Bakkafrost case next.
Scottish Sea Farms has obtained a wide-ranging legal undertaking from environmental campaigner Don Staniford, prohibiting him from entering or approaching any of the company’s aquaculture infrastructure across Scotland, including farms, land bases, vessels, and waste sites.
The undertaking, granted on 17 July by Oban Sheriff Court, follows a petition by Norskott Havbruk – the Norwegian joint venture between SalMar and Lerøy that owns and operates Scottish Sea Farms. The order prohibits Staniford “by himself or by his agents, employees, volunteers or servants, or by anyone acting on his behalf or under his instructions or procurement” from boarding, entering, or attaching himself or vessels to any of the company’s listed facilities.
The scope of the ban extends significantly beyond a similar interdict granted to Mowi in 2024, encompassing marine pens as well as processing plants, freshwater hatcheries, staff accommodation, feed barges, offices, engineering workshops, waste storage facilities, car parks, and specific vessels including the Julie Anne.
A full list of sites affected by the undertaking—including those in Shetland, Orkney, and mainland Scotland—has been published by Staniford on his website.
In a post published after the ruling, Staniford wrote: “It was a bad bad day in Oban Sheriff Court yesterday,” describing the outcome as a “permanent undertaking which is effectively an injunction/interdict.”
Scottish Sea Farms was represented by Shepherd and Wedderburn. The company has not commented publicly on the outcome.
A separate case is now expected to be brought by Bakkafrost Scotland, which is also seeking an interdict to prevent Staniford from accessing its sites. A hearing has been scheduled at Dunoon Sheriff Court for 24 September.
Staniford, who leads the campaign group Scottish Salmon Watch, has long criticised the Scottish aquaculture sector. He did not oppose the terms of the undertaking in court.
