{"id":502161,"date":"2026-03-29T18:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T18:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/502161\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T18:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T18:06:14","slug":"trump-golf-resort-the-only-one-among-scotlands-top-courses-to-breach-environmental-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/502161\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump golf resort the only one among Scotland\u2019s top courses to breach environmental rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump\u2019s Aberdeenshire resort is the only one of Scotland\u2019s top golf venues confirmed to have broken environmental rules in recent years, The Ferret has found.<\/p>\n

Trump International on the Menie estate in the north east has touted its \u201cfirst class<\/a>\u201d approach to the environment and described<\/a> a second 18-hole course built there last year as \u201cone of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable\u201d ever.<\/p>\n

But records obtained by The Ferret show that it is the only one of Scotland\u2019s best courses which the green watchdog confirmed breached its environmental licence over the last three years.<\/p>\n

As part of our \u2018Green Drive<\/a>\u2019 series, examining golf\u2019s impact on the environment, we submitted freedom of information requests to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) seeking the environmental records of 25 of the country\u2019s top-rated courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sampling by Sepa at Trump International<\/a> \u2013 which is home to two courses as well as a luxury hotel and bars \u2013\u00a0 found it was not compliant with its licence on four occasions in 2024 and twice in 2025.<\/p>\n

All six incidents relate to discharges of wastewater from a private sewage system connected to the clubhouse. <\/p>\n

There is no evidence that any of them caused environmental harm. Sepa said<\/a> last year that while it expected \u201cbetter performance\u201d it considered the actual environmental impact of the incidents to be \u201cminimal\u201d.<\/p>\n

None of the other courses examined \u2013 including iconic venues like St Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield and Gleneagles \u2013 were found by Sepa to have breached their own licences over the same period.<\/p>\n

Critics said the findings were \u201cpar for the course\u201d for Trump and that a \u201cbillionaire-owned luxury resort for the affluent\u201d should be taking \u201cbetter care of its effluents\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Journalism that follows the money \u2013 and demands answers.<\/p>\n

This story took time, digging, and persistence. The Ferret is reader-funded investigative journalism, so we can report in the public interest, not for clicks or advertisers.<\/p>\n


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\u201cTrump is a notorious cheat<\/a> when playing golf, so Sepa must make sure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules when it comes to protecting the environment,\u201d one added.<\/p>\n

Trump International said it would be \u201ccategorically wrong\u201d to suggest that the wastewater system was causing environmental damage and accused Sepa of insisting on a \u201cparticularly intense level of monitoring\u201d at the site.<\/p>\n

It pointed out that the licence for the sewage system had been repeatedly renewed by the regulator since 2013.<\/p>\n

Sepa said<\/a> last year that while it expected \u201cbetter performance\u201d it considered the actual environmental impact of the incidents to be \u201cminimal\u201d.<\/p>\n

The US president\u2019s flagship Scottish golf development in Aberdeenshire has long been controversial, with its environmental impact facing significant scrutiny both before and after the first course opened in 2012.<\/p>\n

It was built<\/a> on a four thousand-year-old sand dune system at Menie which had been a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and was considered of \u201cexceptional importance\u201d for a \u201cwide variety of coastal landforms and processes\u201d. The dunes were also home to rare plants and animals.<\/p>\n

Trump is a notorious cheat when playing golf, so Sepa must make sure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules. \u2014 Rosie Hampton, Friends of the Earth Scotland<\/p>\n

The site lost<\/a> its SSSI status in 2020 after wildlife agency NatureScot determined that the dunes had been altered to the extent that they no longer included \u201cenough of the special natural features for which they were designated\u201d.<\/p>\n

Last year, we revealed<\/a> that the course had caused further damage to dunes after pumping water onto them during heavy rain.<\/p>\n

Trump visited Scotland last year to open<\/a> a second course at the complex \u2013 the \u2018MacLeod course\u2019, which is named after his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.<\/p>\n

Trump International said<\/a> in 2024 that the new course would be \u201cone of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable courses” ever built. That claim was dismissed as \u201claughable<\/a>\u201d by one expert given the \u201csevere and irreparable\u201d damage caused to the dunes during the building of the first course.<\/p>\n

Five of the breaches of the resort\u2019s environmental licence since 2024 were reported<\/a> by investigative outlet Unearthed last year. The Ferret has uncovered a sixth breach in the second half of 2025.<\/p>\n

Sepa records show that most of the breaches involved samples of wastewater from the private wastewater system which showed levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) above permitted limits. BOD is an indicator<\/a> of how much organic material, potentially including sewage<\/a>, is present in water.<\/p>\n

As organic material breaks down it uses up<\/a> oxygen, leaving less available for fish and other aquatic life.<\/p>\n

\"AerialTrump International on the Menie estate. Image: Alanatabz\/Cabro Aviation<\/p>\n

Five of the incidents in 2024 and 2025 were linked to high BOD levels. Four were classed as \u201clower tier\u201d exceedances, while one \u2013 in August 2024 \u2013 was recorded as an \u201cupper tier\u201d breach, which could potentially pose a higher risk to the environment.<\/p>\n

Sampling that month also recorded an upper tier breach for suspended solids<\/a> in wastewater discharges \u2013 a measure of particles in the water. High levels of suspended solids can<\/a> cloud water, blocking light needed by plants for photosynthesis and potentially damaging the gills of fish.<\/p>\n

Sepa said<\/a> in response to Unearthed last year: \u201cThe treated effluent passes through a soakaway system after the sampling point, providing further natural filtration before entering the ground. The soakaway significantly reduces the risk of the effluent impacting the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump International was also found<\/a> to be non-compliant nine times back in 2019, with the incidents also related to wastewater sampling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Assessments of the resort\u2019s compliance with its licence are unavailable for 2020, 2021 and 2022 when a criminal cyber attack on Sepa limited the amount of sampling the regulator could carry out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2023, all samples taken at the course were compliant.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Greens MSP for the north east of Scotland, Maggie Chapman, claimed the breaches showed a \u201cfamiliar pattern of disregard\u201d for the environment and called for Sepa to ensure there are \u201creal consequences for persistent non-compliance\u201d.<\/p>\n

Environmental licences exist for a reason \u2013 to protect local communities, wildlife and our waters. \u2014 Maggie Chapman MSP<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cEnvironmental licences exist for a reason \u2013 to protect local communities, wildlife and our waters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosie Hampton, campaigns manager at Friends of the Earth Scotland, accused Trump of repeatedly showing a \u201ccomplete disregard for the communities who face the brunt of his actions\u201d. \u201cTrump is a notorious cheat when playing golf, so Sepa must ensure his courses in Scotland are not allowed to cheat the rules when it comes to protecting the environment,\u201d Hampton said.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Greenpeace UK said it \u201cmight be time for the environmental watchdog [Sepa] to come out swinging\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They argued: \u201cThis is par for the course for Donald Trump. A billionaire-owned luxury resort for the affluent should afford to take better care of its effluents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Malone, executive vice president at Trump International said: \u201cIt would be categorically wrong to suggest that our [wastewater] system was causing environmental damage and we would not hesitate to challenge such an assertion by any means necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cSepa granted a licence for our clubhouse to operate a private wastewater management system in 2013. That licence has been renewed repeatedly since then and has never been refused.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the outset, Sepa has insisted on a particularly intense level of monitoring of wastewater management at the site. A vast number of samples have been analysed by both Sepa and specialist environmental engineers we commissioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe licence has not been breached 14 times [since 2019] \u2013 that is incorrect given that a certain number of exceedances are permitted when the frequency of monitoring is taken into account. Any exceedances have been very rare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe specialist environmental engineers we commissioned to undertake a parallel monitoring exercise contested SEPA\u2019s findings on the occasional minor infractions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GolfersGolfers at Trump Turnberry. Image: Geograph Britain and Ireland<\/p>\n

Malone added that the course was \u201cextremely proud\u201d of its \u201cenvironmental contribution\u201d. \u201cExtensive native grasses have been planted, many hectares of indigenous vegetation have been translocated, and new wetland and dune-slack habitats are flourishing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sepa used to publish assessments<\/a> for the more than 5,000 sites it regulates across the country \u2013 rating compliance with each site\u2019s environmental licences \u2013 but these have not been available since 2019.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s other Scottish golf course \u2013 at Turnberry in Ayrshire \u2013 was among those branded as \u201cpoor<\/a>\u201d in 2018 because it repeatedly exceeded the amount of water it was allowed to take to irrigate the course.<\/p>\n

Turnberry was among the 25 top-rated courses that we asked about in our freedom of information\u00a0requests and has had no recorded similar breaches in recent years.<\/p>\n

Information about one other course \u2013 Royal Dornoch \u2013 was withheld because of a live investigation. The course said this related to water abstraction limits and it was resolving the issue \u201camicably\u201d with Sepa.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the regulator told The Ferret it regulates activities using a \u201crisk-based approach\u201d and that \u201cmonitoring requirements and regulatory activity will vary according to the activities undertaken at each site\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere issues are identified which require further action, we take proportionate action in line with our regulatory approach,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Independent journalism isn\u2019t free, but it is essential.<\/p>\n

We investigate power, money, and decisions made in public view. Reader support protects our independence and gives us time to do work that others won\u2019t.<\/p>\n


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This story is part of ‘Green drive: Golf and the environmental crisis’ \u2013 a series on golf and the environment funded by Journalismfund Europe \u2013 an independent, non-profit organisation in Brussels that supports cross-border investigative journalism.<\/p>\n

Our investigations were carried out in partnership with the Spain-based journalist, Natalie Donback, and Italian journalists coordinated by the Fada Collective.<\/p>\n

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