Mowi helps clean up Loch Ness

Staff at Mowi’s Loch Ness farm showed real community spirit last month when they stepped in to help remove 300 tyres that had been dumped in the iconic Loch Ness.

The tyres were discovered by Ness District Salmon Fishery Board and the fly-tipping attracted widespread criticism and condemnation from the local community, the media and The Highland Council.

Mowi teamed up with Ness District Salmon Fishery Board in a joint operation to remove all the tyres, with Mowi providing both manpower and boats to access the shoreline.

Mowi staff worked alongside Highland Council operatives over three days to clear the tyres, which was a slow process due to inclement weather and the location of the tyres, some of which were halfway up the steep banks of the loch.

Always looking to recycle or reuse materials, Mowi even repurposed 100 of the tyres as bumpers for barges and boats.

Graham Mackenzie, chairman of Highland Council’s Communities and Place Committee, said: “The Council is extremely grateful for the support which ensured this horrendous incidence of fly-tipping was dealt with quickly.

“The location of the tyres made recovery problematic but was made possible thanks to some fantastic collaborative work between our staff, staff from Mowi, and members of the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board.”

Peter Walker, Farm Manager at Loch Ness, said: “We were a bit shocked after starting to tackle the pile of tyres when we realised we were looking at over 300. After many people working many hours and several boat trips later, we were able to retrieve all tyres for safe disposal or recycling, including another pile further down the loch. We hope whoever is responsible for this is caught and it never happens again.”

The effort to remove the tyres was featured across media including the BBC, Sky News, The Herald and STV News.