Thousands Join PETA in Opposing Scotland’s First Caviar Farm

For Immediate Release:

3 January 2018

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

THOUSANDS JOIN PETA IN OPPOSING SCOTLAND’S FIRST CAVIAR FARM

Over 5,000 Compassionate People Agree: Authorities Should Block Farm Proposal

Cowal, Scotland – A proposal has been submitted to Argyll and Bute Council for an intensive caviar farm that would keep sturgeons confined in stressful, unnatural conditions before subjecting them to a cruel, bloody death – and in response, PETA has sent a petition with over 5,000 signatures from members of the public urging the council to reject the plan. The facility would be the first of its kind in Scotland and only the second in the UK.

In the petition, the group points out that in addition to causing cruelty to fish, a farm of this kind would likely have many negative effects on the local area, including increased traffic from goods vehicles and the obstruction of scenic views by new buildings. The generation of environmental pollutants such as ammonia could also potentially have a detrimental impact on wildlife.

“Thousands of compassionate people have spoken, and Argyll and Bute Council should heed their concerns for animal welfare, the environment, and the health of the community,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “PETA is calling for the proposal to be rejected, sparing sturgeons immense suffering.”

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – notes that in the wild, sturgeons live in open rivers and migrate vast distances upstream to breed. On commercial fish farms, they’re confined to tiny, severely crowded tanks, where they have no option but to swim in endless circles. Deprived of the opportunity to engage in natural behaviour, they’re highly susceptible to stress and aggression. Many also sustain physical injuries, such as damage to their tails, because of the intense crowding. At the end of their miserable lives, they’re transferred to an ice bath, where their gills are cut and they’re left to bleed out – a slow, painful way to die.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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