A SALMON processing firm has been fined £70,000 by an environmental watchdog over breaches of fluorinated greenhouse gas rules at its facility in Shetland.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) fined salmon processor Scottish Sea Farms Limited after breaches of fluorinated greenhouse gas regulations were identified at its salmon processing facility at Gremista Industrial Estate in Lerwick.
Two civil penalties of £35,000 each were issued after Sepa discovered that refrigeration equipment at the site was operating without required leakage detection systems.
Sepa officers said that during a routine compliance inspection, they identified that Ice Plant 4 and Ice Plant 5 on the site each contained F-gas above the regulatory threshold but did not have a working leakage detection system installed.
Following the investigation, Sepa’s officers came to the conclusion that Scottish Sea Farms had failed to meet its obligations and were therefore liable to pay the two penalties totalling £70,000.
Rodney Allan, F-Gas specialist in Sepa’s Carbon Reduction Team, explained that leakage detection systems are necessary to help prevent emissions that contribute to the climate emergency.
He said: “Fluorinated gases are potent greenhouse gases, in some cases thousands of times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide.
“The requirement for leakage detection systems is there to help prevent unnecessary emissions that contribute to climate change.
“Businesses that use large refrigeration systems must make sure these safety measures are in place and working properly.”
Allan added: “If operators do not meet their legal duties, Sepa will take enforcement action to protect Scotland’s environment.”
Sepa officers explained that fluorinated gases are potent greenhouse gases, with some having a global warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide.
They added that leakage detection systems are designed to identify losses quickly and prevent avoidable emissions reaching the atmosphere and that preventing avoidable emissions of greenhouse gases is an important part of efforts to tackle climate change.
Refrigeration equipment containing 500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent or more of fluorinated greenhouse gases must be fitted with leakage detection systems that alert operators or a service company to any potential leakage.
It is understood that Scottish Sea Farms has since taken steps to address the issues identified by Sepa’s officers and has brought the equipment into compliance.
A spokesperson for Scottish Sea Farms said: “As outlined at the time, the penalties related to historic non-compliance with fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas) regulations at our Gremista processing facility in Shetland, specifically the absence of automatic leak detection systems on two refrigeration units.
"There were no leaks and no actual environmental harm identified.
“We fully accepted Sepa’s findings, took immediate corrective action to bring the site back into compliance, and have strengthened internal controls and compliance procedures across our operations. We are also progressing wider work to move away from F-gas-based systems altogether.”
