Hi ,

This month, one of our biggest stories yet made headlines across the world.

After a six-year freedom of information battle, Ferret co-founder and journalist Rob Edwards revealed that Loch Long on the Clyde has been contaminated by radioactive waste from the UK’s nuclear bomb store at Coulport, a finding the Ministry of Defence had long tried to keep from the public.

The story was co-published with The Guardian, where it led the homepage, and has since been followed up by outlets including Mail Online, The Daily Record, The National, RBC-Ukraine, The Indian Express, and BBC Scotland, where it also led the homepage.

It took four FOI requests, direct intervention from the Ministry of Defence, and a ruling from the Scottish Information Commissioner to bring this story into the light — and it’s a reminder of what determined, independent reporting can uncover.

It’s the kind of public-interest journalism we’re so proud to pursue. Were it not for Rob's dedicated investigation, we would never have known the truth.

But it’s just one example of the work we’ve been doing this month.

Fish farm drops cleaner fish after Ferret report 🐟

Scotland’s biggest fish farming company, Mowi, is to stop using lumpfish to control sea lice, following our investigation into the deaths of 135,000 cleaner fish at one of its Highland sites.

Our June report revealed that tens of thousands of lumpfish had died due to disease, treatments, and environmental factors. The death toll was described as a “catastrophe” by animal welfare groups, and triggered a complaint to the Crown Office.

Now, an email obtained by The Ferret shows that the Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate understands lumpfish will no longer be used at Mowi’s sites in Scotland. Campaigners have welcomed the move but called for wider changes across the industry.

What’s next?

We’ll keep investigating where others won’t — from the far right to environmental policy, from lobbying to public land and property. And as always, we’re in it for the long haul.

Your support — whether as a member, a donor, or a reader — makes this work possible. If you want to help us keep digging, you can join The Ferret for just £5 a month, make a one-off donation, or forward this newsletter to a friend who might be interested.

Thank you.

Yours,

The Ferret team