Complaint to police made against salmon farming mortality disposal company
Multi-millionaire vegan claims he made move because of inaction by regulators
Multi-millionaire businessman Dale Vince and the Green Britain Foundation that he created have made a criminal complaint against Whiteshore Cockles Ltd, a company that disposes of salmon mortalities at a site in North Uist.
The complaint to Police Scotland follows the release of a video that allegedly shows dead salmon being buried at the site several months after Whiteshore’s permission to do so had been withdrawn in January.
The video was made by activists funded by Vince, the vegan founder of renewable energy company Ecotricity, which operates wind and solar farms and makes “green” gas – biomethane – from grass cuttings.
Vince said the video at Whiteshore Cockles showed the fish farming industry treating the land and sea like a dumping ground.
Regulators 'sat on hands'
“We’ve taken it to the police, because the usual suspects - the regulators - have sat on their hands for years. They’ve known all about this and done nothing,” Vince said in a press release.
“This complaint is just the start. We're going to keep digging, exposing, and holding industries accountable when they trash the environment for profit. Enough is enough. Time for real accountability and for these people to face the consequences of their actions.”
Vince said regulatory bodies, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) had failed to take effective action, necessitating the call for a criminal investigation.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received a report and officers are liaising with the relevant authorities.”
