Hi ,

And so, dear readers, another year of The Ferret Underground newsletter is over. 

Technically there's another week left of Thursdays but this newsletter writer will be knee-deep in Quality Street and arguments by then, so we're signing off today. 

It's been a quiet year, not much to report in the news really. 

But thanks for sticking with us and helping us to grow as we enter our 10th(!) year of investigative journalism. Without your support, we would not exist. 

The Ferret was started in pubs and around kitchen tables by a handful of frustrated but hopeful journalists, and we couldn't have imagined we'd be here: bigger and stronger a decade on. 

We have lots of exciting things planned for our milestone anniversary, which you undergrounders will be first to hear about. 

So, thanks again, have a good holiday period and see you in 2025!

Yours,

Karin (Ali is Xmas shopping)

Story of the week

An in-depth look at a Ferret investigation

It’s an unseasonably warm November evening and at a packed public meeting in Ullapool, a Norwegian multinational is being quizzed over its plans for a fish farm.

Hosting the discussion is Ben Hadfield – chief operating officer of Mowi Scotland – who is seated beside colleagues from a subsidiary called Wester Ross Fisheries, who’ve just given a presentation on their proposal following a reception with tea, coffee and canapés. The hall is full, the floor now open for questions. 

“Could you agree to trial it first?” “What’s this new system going to be like compared to what we have now?” Lesley Spencely, concerned over microplastic pollution, asks if Mowi has conducted the necessary tests on plastic pipes it plans to use. She wants the company to share its data to reassure the concerned audience that there’s no need for alarm. “We can commit to doing that and come back to you with the numbers,” Hadfield says, nodding his head. Spencely offers her thanks.

Tonight’s discussion is cordial, measured. It’s a stark contrast with a public meeting in May when Wester Ross Fisheries faced the wrath of irate locals who claimed they’d been lied to, as revealed by The Ferret. It was an allegation the firm denied, arguing there had simply been miscommunication, leading to a misunderstanding.  

What did we dig up this week?

A round up of our investigations in the last seven days

Revealed: landowner backing for anti-national park campaign

Private landowners related to the former Conservative Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, have been accused of covertly backing a campaign to block plans for a new national park.

Photo essay: the blight of plastic pollution

Microplastics are tiny plastic litter measuring less than five millimetres. They have been found in the world’s oceans, lakes, soil, air, food, and even the human bloodstream.

Surge in potent form of climate pollution at oil site

Faults at a Shetland oil site caused its emissions of a potent greenhouse gas to nearly double last year.

Explainer: Scottish fish farming

Scotland’s fish farming industry is worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the economy and has been lauded for bringing jobs to coastal communities. 

Question of the week

Can fish farming be reformed?

We now have a platform exclusive for Ferret Underground subscribers where you can share ideas about future investigations, answer polls and more!

Create an account here to get access.

Best of the rest

Investigations we've enjoyed from around the world

More than 140 Kenya Facebook moderators diagnosed with severe PTSD

Lawsuit brought by former moderators against parent company Meta and outsourcer Samasource Kenya. (Guardian)

‘Butcher of Hama’: Assad’s uncle used Guernsey fund manager to stash millions looted from Syria

Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of Bashar is known as the “butcher of Hama” for his alleged role overseeing the imprisonment, torture and execution of up to 40,000 people. (Bureau)

Your fancy wine could well be fake. Some are hoping to sniff out a solution

One fifth of all wine sold worldwide could be fake. Now tech similar to MRI scans and gas-smelling, aroma-analyzing equipment might yield the answer. (Wired)

Any comments? Have you seen something we could include? Email us at contact@theferret.scot.

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