Freedom of Information Request - Whiteshore Cockles
Date: 22 October 2025
Our ref: SIR181845/A5530778
Information Request – Whiteshore Cockles
Your Request
I would like to request access to any correspondence, internal notes, ecological assessments, or consultation responses held by NatureScot in relation to:
1. The Paragraph 7(1) Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011 exemption notification submitted by Whiteshore Cockles Ltd (April 2025) to SEPA.
2. Any advice, concerns, or recommendations provided by NatureScot to SEPA, Scottish Government, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, APHA, or other bodies regarding this application.
3. Any consideration of potential impacts on designated sites, protected species, or biodiversity from the proposed land-spreading of salmon processing waste condensate.
Our Response
We have discussed your request with the Operations Team for this area and having undertaken searches of the information that they hold they can find no information relating to an exemption notification submitted by Whiteshore Cockles Ltd (April 2025) to SEPA, or any information on that possible application to any of the organisations you have indicated or any other bodies.
The Operations Team did indicate that a previous FOI response on a similar subject to point three of your request, was issued in June 2024.
They reviewed this information again and undertook further searches, to ensure that any information that met this part of your request would be provided to you. Unfortunately, other than the information previously released, no other information was found, that met this part of your request.
We have provided the information previously released with this response. This information redacted out information relating to personal data and was exempted under the EIRs, using the exemption 11(2) (Personal Data).
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
