A north politician claims the public were misled about a decision to switch an animal disease lab in Inverness to the new UHI campus.
John Finnie, the Greens’ rural affairs spokesman, has lodged his concerns in the Scottish Parliament.
The Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) veterinary disease surveillance service facility, operated on behalf of the Scottish Government, is moving from Drummond Hill to the Beechwood campus.
Mr Finnie is questioning the detail, claiming the new unit “will not be a laboratory facility in any shape or form.”
In his view, it is not a like-for-like replacement but “a substantial downgrading.”
He said: “The present site at Drummond Hill has already been put up for sale and will no doubt deliver considerable receipts – something I think this whole episode has been about.”
Mr Finnie said he had been told that SRUC management had consistently informed staff that they could not enter a consultation until the minister had signed off the changes – yet that, he claimed, “is precisely what appears to be what happened.”
He said the SRUC’s handling of the transfer was “disrespectful to the staff.”
He also claimed that while “most” of the sector’s labs required major refurbishment, the Inverness facility was “probably the most fit for purpose centre of them all.”
Mr Finnie has submitted a list of written questions to the Scottish Government with a view to ensuring specialist jobs are retained in the Highlands and that the efficiency of the service does not suffer.
“It’s time the SRUC started acting like a public body rather than some tawdry commercial concern that has no regard for its staff or the public they are charged with serving,” he said.
A spokesman for the SRUC said: “We were pleased to announce recently that we’re retaining a strong veterinary surveillance presence in the Inverness area, including the well respected marine strandings unit.
“Plans for a new post mortem facility, accessible from outside the city, are underway and new laboratory facilities have already been established at Beechwood alongside SRUC Research and SAC Consulting staff.
“Until all the changes are completed we will continue to service clients from our Drummondhill premises.”
He said the commitment to veterinary surveillance had been welcomed by farmers’ leaders, vets and the British Veterinary Association.
He added: “We’re happy to speak to Mr Finnie about our activity and clarify any misunderstandings he may have about the new arrangements.”
SRUC researchers have already made the move to the campus. Consultants will follow later this month. Vet staff will be relocated to a new post mortem facility, once found, elsewhere in the city.
