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Campaigners slam fish farmer over “vipers’ nest” accusation   16/1/13

Campaigners have accused the Scottish Salmon Company (TSSC) of treating the local community with contempt over opposition to a controversial fish farm in the Bays of Harris.

Leaked e-mails from The Scottish Salmon Company (TSSC) reveals its tactics to tackle local concerns over the rise in fish farms around the islands.

In 2011 the fishfarmer activated a dormant planning permission, inherited when they took over West Minch Salmon, and installed cages in an important sheltered traditional fishing and navigating channel which is heavily used by Scalpay shellfish boats creeling for lobster and crabs.

More fish farms are planned at important inshore fishing areas on the rugged coast of east Harris. The sites in Kyles Scalpay, Loch Grosebay and East Loch Tarbert are near existing farms and are also part of at least five salmon farming developments proposed in the Western Isles.

Creelmen are aghast of the “takeover” of their traditional grounds and warn that the proliferation of “cramming fish” into cages threatens the environment.

Fears are heightened because of the rapid spread of a serious disease outbreak killing potentially millions of farmed fish. A deadly parasite which causes Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) rapidly spread around all sea farms around Harris.

It also hit the controversial fish farm in Plocrapool - the site discussed in the e-mails.  Locals are not convinced that disposing vast quantities of hydrogen peroxide, a fish treatment chemical often used as bleach, into sea lochs is harmless.

In March last year SSC’s environmental manager Rebecca Dean suggested a way to thwart local concerns over establishing the salmon farm was to install smaller cages initially to “let the locals get used to it” before replacing them with far bigger units after a couple of years.

She wrote: “We are going for new Ploc, round the corner, as well as trying for another site to the north (Loch Claigh) and still looking for more. In addition we are trying for the 3 sites in Uists.”

She added: “Lets spend the energy getting those, fighting those battles, and filling the Councils time with those, rather than also including a modification to existing Plocrapol and the angst, time, delay, hoo-haa, that will cause.

“Yes, there is a biomass strategy target, and I am well aware of it and we will max out what we can, where we can.”

“But Plocrapol is a guaranteed vipers nest, with the huge delays that will create, and the demands on Council (and TSSC) time, could be better spent on other sites that may be less oppositional (couldn't get much worse than Ploc...well, there is always Arran of course...or Toa, but) She added: “We might as well try avoid, for now at least, the ones we are certain will be lengthy, tiring, negative PR battles.”

In his reply SSC’s chief executive,Stewart McLelland said: “My thinking was that we look at other locations and make sure we have the tonnage potential, then move the existing Plocrapol site but on our terms. This way we ensure we get the good publicity and demonstrate the advantages of working together.”

Peter Urpeth of campaign group Outer Hebrides Against Fish Farms said SSC “so-called consultations are just a cynical PR stunt designed to fool local people, statutory planning authorities and statutory consultees alike into believing that co-operation is a shared aim.”

He accused the “cynical, abusive and aggressive company” of a “hidden agenda for expansion by the back door” by strategically applying for small developments intending to increase the number of cages later.

Mr Urpeth said: 'These leaked e-mails cast real doubts over the truth in any document this company submits in support of new planning applications. It is clear that senior local managers say one thing whilst planning something quite different.

'In this case, the plan is to trick local planners and local communities into accepting smaller scale installations and then to go for massive expansions when the company thinks local opposition might have died down. That is nothing short of a cynical abuse of local people, local trust and the planning process, and there is now a dark shadow hanging over a company that makes such grand claims for its products and processes.

'Local communities trust this company as stewards of the local environment, that trust is now clearly misplaced.'

Stewart McLelland said: “It is unfortunate that the wording of out of date internal communications is being used by a few individuals to distort the facts. Once again, rather than contribute constructively, they wish to create confusion and offence where none was intended.”

“We remain committed to proper engagement and full consultation with local communities as a key principle of our business practice. To ensure constructive dialogue, we regularly run open days to explain our plans and, in November, I personally met with the Harris Community Councils to discuss our current plans for Harris.

“The real position of SSC was presented by myself and we had a positive discussion regarding our plans. SSC wants to invest and grow a sustainable salmon farming business in the Hebrides and we take our relationships with local communities very seriously.

“A year on from when this internal email was sent, it is clear that releasing it publicly is part of the campaign to discredit this company and our industry in general. Local communities who work with us know us and should be assured that we have the utmost respect for them. That will continue to be the case going forward.”