The Ferret

The Ferret is a renowned platform dedicated to investigative journalism, serving Scotland and beyond.

National

English

Online/Digital

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#593824

United Kingdom

#50063

News and Media

#1737

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Scottish veterans could lose out as charity fundraiser is axed

1 week ago | theferret.scot | Karin Goodwin

Scots war heroes have criticised Poppyscotland for axing their top fundraiser in a move that has triggered fears of creeping centralisation from London. The removal of the charity’s head of fundraising would “destroy” public confidence in the charity’s commitment to Scottish veterans, according to ex-forces personnel and a senior politician, negatively impacting on the historic Poppyscotland brand.
Named: five lochs polluted by fish farms

1 month ago | theferret.scot | Rob Edwards

Five freshwater lochs in the Highlands and Islands have been damaged by pollution from fish farms, according to a long-term scientific study by University College London. The study concludes that faecal waste and uneaten food dropped into the lochs from over 50 salmon and trout cages since the 1980s and 1990s is “highly likely” to have altered the water quality, risking algal blooms and posing dangers to wildlife.
Rise in nuclear incidents that could leak radioactivity

1 month ago | theferret.scot | Rob Edwards

There have been 12 nuclear incidents that could have leaked radioactivity at the Faslane naval base since 2023, The Ferret can reveal. According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the incidents at the Clyde nuclear submarine base had “actual or high potential for radioactive release to the environment”. But the MoD has refused to say what actually happened in any of the incidents, or exactly when they occurred.
Call for mental health ward deaths to be investigated

1 month ago | theferret.scot | Karin Goodwin

Only 11 investigations into more than 1,000 deaths in Scottish mental health wards over the last decade have been carried out by Scotland’s public body overseeing the welfare of patients, according to a new report by Glasgow University. The study – Nothing to see here – is the fourth annual monitoring report on deaths in state care by the university’s Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR).
Edinburgh University told staff it had bought valuable property amid funding crisis...then denied it

2 months ago | theferret.scot | Karin Goodwin

Unions have called for urgent clarity from Edinburgh university after it published an “incorrect” memo that said the cash-strapped institution had purchased an iconic A-listed office block while it was laying off staff. An internal communication from the university to staff in late March – shared with The Ferret – said it had bought the former Scottish Widows building opposite Edinburgh’s Commonwealth swimming pool the previous month.
Who runs Scottish exports?

2 months ago | theferret.scot | Karin Goodwin

In our Who Runs Scotland series so far, we have revealed the industries which have the most access to political power in Scotland through lobbying meetings with our ministers, MPs and MSPs.Our analysis found that three of Scotland’s most high-profile and powerful industries – oil and gas, fish farming, and whisky – have repeatedly attempted to exert influence over Scottish politics in this way. These iconic exports are often assumed to be working hard for Scotland’s economy.
Serve our salmon at government events, say companies

2 months ago | theferret.scot | Rob Edwards

The UK government has been accused of acting as the “promotional wing” of the multinational salmon farming industry, after a minister appeared to bow to pressure to serve more farmed salmon at government receptions. The Ferret can reveal that industry leaders lobbied the Scotland Office minister, Kirsty McNeill, at a meeting in September 2024 for “greater supply of Scottish salmon” at government events. She replied she was “keen to see this”.
the revolving door between politics and PR

2 months ago | theferret.scot | Karin Goodwin

Scotland’s most influential public relations companies are staffed by former politicians, government ministers, spin doctors and newspaper editors, The Ferret has found, exposing the “revolving door” between politics, the media and lobbying. These well-connected figures are now being paid to represent the interests of the UK’s largest businesses including fossil fuel and energy multinationals, big finance, and arms firms.
Salmon farms file 210 appeals to 'sabotage' lice controls

Mar 26, 2025 | theferret.scot | Rob Edwards

Salmon farms across Scotland have lodged 210 appeals against controls on lice infestations imposed by the Scottish Government’s environment watchdog, prompting outrage from campaigners. The appeals are the latest and most dramatic move in the multinational salmon industry’s long-running campaign to block lice controls being introduced by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to protect wild fish.
MoD under fire over nuclear clean-up in Scotland

Mar 23, 2025 | theferret.scot | Rob Edwards

The Ministry of Defence has been accused of trying to avoid responsibility for cleaning up a military nuclear site on the north coast of Scotland by making it “someone else’s problem”. The Ferret can reveal that discussions to transfer ownership of Vulcan, a former submarine reactor testing site next to Dounreay in Caithness, to the UK and Scottish governments’ Nuclear Decommissioning Authority are at an advanced stage. The aim is to complete the deal in 2027-28.