Building targeted in anti-guga hunting protest cost £110,000 in repairs and security

More than £110,000 of public money has been spent improving security and repairing damage at a government building targeted by anti-guga hunting activists.

NatureScot’s offices in Inverness have been the scene of several protests over the centuries-old guga hunt that happens in the Outer Hebrides.

The bill emerged in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) inquiry from a resident of Ness on the Isle of Lewis.

Residents of the island community said they were appalled by the “unnecessary cost to the public,” and called the campaigners’ actions “unacceptable”.

the Guga hunt is carried out on the remote island of Sula Sgeir in the Outer Hebrides Adobe Stock

NatureScot, based at Great Glen House in the Highland capital, issues licences for the historic event.

In March, two men dressed in gannet costumes were arrested and charged for ascending the roof.

Campaigners allegedly smashed a glass door and windows at the offices and sprayed graffiti.

Responding to the FoI inquiry, the agency said it had to spend £84,708 employing an onsite security guard. The bill for repairing damage was put at more than £5,800.

Other costs included applying “anti-climb paint”, upgrading CCTV and legal fees.

Protesters outside the NatureScot building in Inverness STV News

Ness resident Lorna Thomson, who lodged the FOI inquiry, said: “I wanted to understand the true impact that this nasty and abusive campaign and protest activity surrounding the guga hunt has had on the public purse.

“As someone from Ness, I’m deeply concerned by the hostility directed towards our community by people from far away who have no understanding of our island or our customs.”

She said people had every right to oppose the guga hunt and to campaign peacefully, but that there was “a difference between criticising a practice and vilifying an entire community.”

Agnes Rennie of the Lewis community land group Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn said: “This information sadly reflects the extent to which even NatureScot feels it necessary to guard against the threatening behaviour of this so-called campaign.”

Jamie Moyes of the campaign group Abolish the Guga Hunt said people’s focus should be on the 500 baby gannets that were killed last year under licence.

He said: “Abolish the Guga Hunt had nothing to do with criminal damage at NatureScot’s office in Inverness.

“We organised a peaceful rooftop protest to expose the licensed killing of ‘protected’ baby gannets.

“Attempting to conflate that peaceful protest with unrelated vandalism is simply an attempt to discredit our campaign.”

Mr Moyes said that, of the £110,000, only £5,801 involved “actual damage”.

He said: “The rest is NatureScot’s own spending – £84,708 on a security guard they didn’t need, £12,155 on upgrades it had already planned and £7,807 on legal advice about the guga licence itself. That’s the cost of running the hunt, not mending a window.”

A spokeswoman for NatureScot said: “We are certainly concerned about the cost to taxpayers for repairs and increased security resulting from the vandalism, as well as the effect on our staff as they try to do their everyday jobs.

“We continue to be open to conversation about our work and encourage responsible communication from everyone involved.”

In a statement earlier this month, the agency said it understood the strong feelings about the guga hunt and that some people will disagree with it taking place.

However, it said the hunt is recognised in law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act which makes specific provision for the granting of a licence for the purpose of providing food for human consumption in relation to the gannets on the island of Sula Sgeir.

“Our role,” it said, “is to make licensing decisions based on the most recent scientific evidence.”