Revealed: how Sepa bowed to pressure
THE Scottish Government’s green watchdog suppressed a critical report on pollution after pressure from the fish-farming industry, according to internal emails seen by the Sunday Herald. Sepa bowed to private lobbying from the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO) not to publish an article in August 2016 highlighting concerns about a fishfarm pesticide killing wildlife.
The decision followed SSPO paying for two dinners out for Sepa executives. One at a restaurant in Perth in November 2015 included four senior Sepa staff and fish-farm company directors, and the other in April 2016 involved Sepa chief executive Terry A’Hearn. On August 5, 2016, Sepa emailed SSPO with a draft of an article on the use of pesticides to control sea lice. SSPO chief executive Scott Lands- burgh told Sepa: “Should you publish this statement in its current format, I suspect that it will lead to a good deal of media scrutiny which will seek to undermine the industry’s reputation and will probably damage all of our reputations.”
Landsburgh also emailed Sepa boss A’Hearn saying he was “disappointed” that Sepa was proposing to publish its plans for emamectin. SSPO had been “trying to agree a common media position with all parties in order to minimise the controversy”, he said.
No statement on emamectin was published by Sepa in 2016, though it did post online a statement announcing a “tightening” of the pesticide’s conditions of use last week. This immediately followed Sepa’s release of the emails in response to a Freedom of Information request by Don Staniford from the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture.
“It is shameful that Sepa has once again cravenly kowtowed to pressure from the salmon farming industry,” alleged Staniford. SSPO confirmed that Landsburgh had requested A’Hearn not to publish. This was “because the article to be put into the public domain was going to be out of context”, said an SSPO spokeswoman.
“The idea that SSPO could influence Sepa executives over a couple of dinners is risible. The dinners were arranged to discuss general environmental policies.”
A’Hearn confirmed four Sepa staff had attended a dinner hosted by SSPO, and that he had attended an SSPO dinner. “Engagement between Sepa and other organisations, including regulated operators, occasionally includes hospitality, subject to strict rules,” A’Hearn said.
“Sepa considers a wide range of views in its decision-making process, but the final decision is always our own, as it was in this case.”