In 2017 synthetic opioid fentanyl hit the Canadian city of Toronto and people using drugs started dropping. Drug deaths hit record levels - across the state of Ontario there were 1,270 that year.Health professionals, activists and drug users ca

The health gap - part three: Why do more men need someone to talk to?

Sep 5th, 2023 38m 26s

"Our deaths by suicide rate is not coming down because we have too many poor people. They don’t have enough money, they can’t feed themselves, they don’t have any hope because they don’t know what’s coming down the road. " Sean McCann, trauma p

The health gap - part two: How does finding connection help prevent drug deaths?

Sep 5th, 2023 42m 44s

If it wasn't for safer injecting sites I wouldn't be alive today that's for sure because I wouldn't be able to stay alive long enough to hit bottom – to have a moment of clarity where I was able to say 'I don't want to do this any more'. "Trey

The health gap - part one: Why does a good start matter for our children's health?

Sep 5th, 2023 32m 31s

"We know that the first 1,000 days are the most important time in a child's life. If you get that right you have a much better chance of a life being healthy in the future.” Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, the Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (

Do more to stop wild beavers being shot, NatureScot told

Feb 17th, 2022 27m 54s

Conservationists have urged NatureScot to stick to the timetable it set for Scotland’s new policy on wild beavers, to save animals from being shot.In our latest podcast, Richard Baynes talks to campaigners, landowners and NatureScot about the c

How green is COP26's supermarket sponsor?

Nov 3rd, 2021 20m 22s

Why is a supermarket sponsoring vital climate talks? And just how green is it?The Ferret has reported on the total carbon cost of the “principle partners” of COP26, which produce a staggering 350m tonnes of carbon a year.Now, in this exclusive

The Hunterston Hum: A nasty hum sparks fears of what's to come at Clydeport Site

Oct 14th, 2021 19m 9s

With COP26 in Glasgow approaching, our podcast will let you hear the hum and more about the impact of potential energy industries on this slice of the Clyde coast.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - http

Strange times: the crisis of nightlife culture in the midst of covid-19

Sep 18th, 2020 25m 30s

Scotland's nightlife culture is in crisis. As leading industry figures warn that venues may close with a tsunami of jobs due to Covid-19 restrictions, Ferret journalist Karin Goodwin speaks to DJs, promoters and others working in the nightlife

'This doesn’t happen here': young women highlight sexual violence in Shetland

Aug 3rd, 2020 12m 35s

When 16-year-old Rhea from Shetland put a call-out on an anonymous social media app asking young women to share their stories of sexual harassment, she was taken aback to receive over 60 in a 24-hour period, detailing experiences from unwanted

Scottish Land fund needs scrutiny, say campaigners

Jul 10th, 2020 27m 21s

The Scottish Land Fund, set up to help community buyouts in the wake of the land reform movement, has become mainly a buildings fund and is heavily skewed towards a few local authority areas.Journalist Richard Baynes finds that substantial sums

Seabed wildlife under threat

Jul 6th, 2020 16m 8s

How badly has Scotland’s seabed been damaged, and should it be protected? Our podcast reporter, Richard Baynes, went to sea to find out for himself. The accompanying story is here on The Ferret. Photo thanks to Chris Rickard.This podcast uses t

Should Scottish landowners be forced to cull deer?

Jan 10th, 2020 21m 48s

Journalist Richard Baynes explores the debate around deer culling in the Highlands of Scotland. Read more at https://theferret.scot/deer-cull-environmentalists-landowners/This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcor

Revealed: the rise in self-harm in Scottish prisons

Jul 29th, 2019 32m 41s

First published in September 2017, this report by Cormac Hourigan looks at the rise at self-harming in Scottish prisons. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacyAdBarker - https://

Expert Jim Cuthbert explains why he has concerns about private finance in Scotland

Jul 29th, 2019 28m 16s

Jim Cuthbert, an Edinburgh-based economist who investigates private finance projects explain why they have concerns over the use of private finance to fund new schools, health centres and roads in Scotland. This audio was originally published

Do you care if the fish we eat suffer?

Jul 29th, 2019 23m 1s

Journalist Richard Baynes examines the science behind increased awareness of fish sentience and pain responses, the fears of campaigners about fish welfare, and the industry response to these concerns. This podcast was originally released as pa

Genocide, the Yazidis and Scotland’s call for justice

Dec 15th, 2017 11m 49s

“They called them ‘sabia’ or ‘jaria. This means ‘female slaves’. Daesh viewed them as ‘spoils of war’,” said Dr Luma Hazim.She was interviewed by The Ferret earlier this year when we visited Iraq to report on the impact of Islamic State’s viole

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