Scotland for Animals are concerned by the appointment of an individual with extensive connections to the meat and salmon farming industries to the position of Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland.
Professor Julie Fitzpatrick was appointed to the board of Quality Meat Scotland in 2014, and is CEO of the Moredun Group and Scientific panel member of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre, both of which work closely with the fish farming sector.
With a spotlight on the meat trade’s detrimental impact on public health, and it’s potential to cause catastrophic pandemics, the safety of appointing anyone with this background as a scientific adviser to lawmakers is highly questionable.
The appointment also raises further concerns regarding those with deep links to the animal exploitation industry being embedded in government, and their potential to steer policy in this industry’s favour.
SfA call for a complete separation of government and the meat, dairy, egg and “seafood” industry as a step towards creating a safe nation for non-humans.