Revealed: Deer management cost public purse at least £135m in a decade
Deer overpopulation in many parts of Scotland is harming the environment. Attempts to tackle the longstanding issue are costing taxpayers tens of millions of pounds.
Revealed: Deer management cost public purse at least £135m in a decade
Deer overpopulation in many parts of Scotland is harming the environment. Attempts to tackle the longstanding issue are costing taxpayers tens of millions of pounds.
Dozens charged for supporting loyalist paramilitary groups banned under terror laws
A freedom of information response revealed there have been 193 charges in Scotland under the Terrorism Act 2000. The alleged offences link to banned groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force, Ulster Freedom Fighters, the IRA, and neo-Nazi group, National Action.
Over 100 Scottish terrorism charges have been linked to Palestine Action. That's more in seven months than all other groups faced in 25 years
The number of Scottish terrorism charges in relation to Palestine Action in the last seven months is more than all the other charges put together since the 2000 Terrorism Act came into force, new figures reveal
Named: the salmon farms rapped over animal welfare
In the past the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency kept secret the salmon farms it censured on animal welfare grounds. Now it has changed its mind.
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Latest
Trump golf resort the only one among Scotland’s top courses to breach environmental rules
We asked about the environmental records of Scotland’s 25 best golf courses. The US president’s resort in the north east was the only one to breach its licence in recent years.
Claim 'abortion to birth' is now legal in the UK is Mostly False
Changes to abortion law in England and Wales have been misrepresented on social media.
Scotland's disappearing golf courses
Climate change is causing rising sea levels and coastal erosion and 109 Scottish golf courses are at risk. We examined the issue as part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a special Ferret series on golf and the environment.
Reform UK knew its candidates had supported far right influencers, spread Covid-19 conspiracies, and made ableist slurs. The party selected them again.
The Ferret exposed the extreme views of Reform UK’s Scotland’s candidates before Nigel Farage promised to improve his party’s “poor” vetting processes, but many of them have been re-selected to fight the Holyrood election.
Scottish Labour donation linked to ‘astroturf’ nuclear campaign
Anas Sarwar's party accepted over £7,000 from Stonehaven, a lobbying firm which represents the owner of Scotland's last nuclear power station. Scottish Labour has sought to make nuclear power a battleground in the May election.
This pro-nuclear group claims to be 'grassroots'. So why are its directors industry lobbyists?
Britain Remade has appointed two directors from a lobbying firm which represents EDF, the owner of Scotland’s last nuclear power station.
Claim Scottish Labour built six houses in government is False
Online claims questioned Scottish Labour's house building in government between 1999 and 2007.
Revealed: Shop where Glasgow fire started had not registered to sell vapes or paid business taxes
A Ferret investigation has found there was no registration to sell vapes at the Union Street premises in Glasgow where a major fire started - and we can reveal the name of the company behind the shop.
Investigations
Trump golf resort the only one among Scotland’s top courses to breach environmental rules
We asked about the environmental records of Scotland’s 25 best golf courses. The US president’s resort in the north east was the only one to breach its licence in recent years.
Scotland's disappearing golf courses
Climate change is causing rising sea levels and coastal erosion and 109 Scottish golf courses are at risk. We examined the issue as part of Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis – a special Ferret series on golf and the environment.
Scottish Labour donation linked to ‘astroturf’ nuclear campaign
Anas Sarwar's party accepted over £7,000 from Stonehaven, a lobbying firm which represents the owner of Scotland's last nuclear power station. Scottish Labour has sought to make nuclear power a battleground in the May election.
This pro-nuclear group claims to be 'grassroots'. So why are its directors industry lobbyists?
Britain Remade has appointed two directors from a lobbying firm which represents EDF, the owner of Scotland’s last nuclear power station.
Fact Checks
Claim 'abortion to birth' is now legal in the UK is Mostly False
Changes to abortion law in England and Wales have been misrepresented on social media.
Claim Scottish Labour built six houses in government is False
Online claims questioned Scottish Labour's house building in government between 1999 and 2007.
No evidence of viral Richard Tice quote on Reform's plans for Scotland
A quote attributed to Reform UK's Richard Tice has gone viral in recent weeks.
Claim that video shows bagpiper playing over call to prayer in Scotland is False
A video showing a man playing bagpipes during a Muslim call to prayer was widely shared on social media this
Long reads
Poland's Jewish revival: In the shadow of Auschwitz
We visited the Polish city of Krakow ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day which is held to remember the millions murdered by the Nazis – including six million Jews. Krakow's Jewish population was decimated then but the city is now home to one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in the world.
Far-right agitators stand accused of stirring up trouble at asylum hotel protests. But anti-racists are standing firm
Following a sharp rise in far right activity, we’ve spent the last three months attending protests, speaking to activists under threat, and tracking anti-asylum seeker demonstrations across Scotland.
It takes a village: a new approach to living with flooding
Dr Fiona Work, a former nurse, remembers December 2012 vividly. “I had gone to my friends and had a call
Power struggle: The billionaire, the Chinese oil giant and Grangemouth’s forgotten workers
Grangemouth should have been Scotland’s big opportunity to realise its ambition for a just transition – moving workers into cleaner, greener jobs. But embittered power struggles got in the way, The Ferret finds.
De-noiser
Has the Scottish Government changed its stance on oil and gas?
With a decision on the Rosebank oil field imminent – and lobbying around the windfall tax at fever pitch – some are questioning whether the Scottish Government's current stance on oil and gas is in step with their ambition to be a world leader in climate action.
Does Sharia law have an influence in Scotland?
Sharia law is a contentious issue in the UK. Some question whether it is compatible with so-called British values while claiming it's a separate legal system operating parallel to UK laws. In our latest De-noiser, we look at the facts.
Could AI misinformation sway the Scottish election?
Persuasive AI assistants, deepfakes and bots are now commonplace. But could they be used by bad actors to influence Scotland’s elections?
Why can’t I get an appointment with my GP?
The pressing need to address difficulties the Scottish public reports in getting an appointment with their GP was raised in last week’s budget. So will new funding and proposals for walk-in surgeries help? What are the underlying reasons for the issue?
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CHRIS PACKHAM, BROADCASTER AND NATURALIST“We need more independent media asking the questions that the powerful don't want to answer. It's vital that The Ferret succeeds.”
PAUL WOOD, WEST HIGHLAND FREE PRESS