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Animal Rights Group Calls for Ban on Scottish Farmed Salmon

Salmonids Welfare Sustainability +5 more

US/UK - Animal rights groups the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) and Save Our Seals Fund (SOSF) are now calling on the US Government to ban imports of Scottish farmed salmon and for retailers to stop sourcing from what they describe as 'seal unfriendly' Scottish salmon farms.

"Scotland's seal killers should hang their heads in shame and hang up their guns," said Don Staniford of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA).

"Supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Tesco which condone the killing of seals by selling 'seal-unfriendly' farmed salmon have blood on the hands."

John Robins, Secretary of Save Our Seals Fund in Scotland, said: "We have asked the US Department of Commerce to use existing legislation to ban the import of Scottish farmed salmon. I hope the US Government can force Scottish salmon farmers to install seal exclusion nets, something the Scottish Government and the RSPCA have disgracefully failed to do."

The protest groups claim that a Scottish Government survey in 2011 showed that 80 per cent of salmon farms in Scotland do not have anti predator nets. GAAIA has now appealed to the Scottish Information Commissioner following Marine Scotland's refusal to name the particular sites where the seals were killed.

"Consumers, chefs and retailers should boycott all Scottish farmed salmon from companies who support a shoot to kill policy," continued Staniford.

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