An island councillor has claimed ferry operator CalMac put jobs at risk after it cancelled a regular booking to take venison to the mainland.
Alastair Redman, for the Kintyre and Islands ward, says that he was approached by deer stalkers from the islands of Islay and Jura after a regular block booking by a distributor was dropped.
CalMac said while one booking was cancelled it worked with the operator to find another suitable slot.
People would be out of work if the booking was lost
Mr Redman said: “At least a dozen people would have lost work because of the change of timetable, and countless others would have been impacted by the decision.
“Food security is so important to our local economy.
He said: “Previously, the company had a guaranteed weekly slot on the ferry to remove deer that have been culled – it is of utmost importance that this is done in a timely manner due to strict rules that are in place regarding how long the carcasses can be stored in a refrigerated van.
“Following the introduction of the winter timetable they have been told that they can no longer have a weekly booking on the ferry.”
It is understood that Highland Game’s original block booking request was not available, due to a lack of capacity on the particular sailing.
A spokeswoman for CalMac said: “Everyone at CalMac recognises the vital role we play in supporting the local economy and we continually and adaptively work hard to maintain good working relationships with businesses which rely on us to transport their goods.
“In this instance, we worked directly with the company involved and found a solution which allows venison to continue to be transported to the mainland.”
Conversation