Brewdog, the Scottish artisan brewer, has come under fire for its reforestation scheme the “Lost Forest”, which appears environmentally misleading.
The brewer’s co-founder James Watt pledged to plant “the biggest ever” forest across a “staggering 50 sq km” former Highland sporting estate in Kinrara, Scotland.
However, animal welfare campaigner PETA UK accused the brewing company of “losing the plot” for acquiring a license to mass cull deer to complete the Lost Forest.
READ MORE: Soda Folk accuses Brewdog of “trying to impersonate” its look
Plans include culling an extra 100 deer to manage the “loss of forage and shelter” with its reforestation scheme.
Additionally, the move comes part of a pattern of corporate tree-planting drives in Scotland under the Woodland Carbon Code. The scheme allows owners to capture “carbon credits” and sell them to other companies to offset their emissions.
Thus, companies engaging in emissions trading are incentivised by the price of carbon credits which “cancels out” any sequestered carbon.
On top of this, rural real estate agents such as Galbraith reported increasing corporate woodland projects have driven up land prices which are often subsidised by Scottish Forestry.
Brewdog has applied for a forest grant scheme subsidies for the first phase of Lost Forest, which could reach up to £1.25 million.
Land reform campaigners have called for the government to break up large Highland estates as green finance mechanisms, such as Brewdog’s Lost Forest, have contributed to rural inequalities.
The news comes as Brewdog launched its first non-alcoholic soft drink venture, where 100% of its profits are donated “to the planet”.
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