The management of wild deer in Scotland: Deer Working Group report

Part Six - Refocused Approach

Introduction

1 The Group’s remit from Scottish Ministers is to review the statutory and non-statutory arrangements involved in the management of wild deer in Scotland and “make recommendations for changes to ensure effective deer management in Scotland that safeguards public interests and promotes the sustainable management of wild deer”.^[1]

2 In the previous Parts of this Report, the Group has considered the statutory provisions of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 and related legislation governing the management of wild deer in Scotland. The Group has also examined the non-statutory approaches adopted by the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to encourage appropriate standards of deer management.

3 In reviewing those statutory and non-statutory arrangements, the Group has made over 80 recommendations in Parts One to Five. The recommendations are listed in Section 30. The Group considers that those recommendations, while varying in their importance, will all contribute to effective deer management in Scotland that safeguards public interests and promotes the sustainable management of wild deer.

4 The Group also considers, however, that those recommendations by themselves will not “ensure” effective deer management in Scotland that safeguards public interests, as specified in the Group’s remit. This Part of the Report therefore considers further changes required to deliver the terms of the Group’s remit in practice.

5 Section 27 below reviews a number of aspects of the non-statutory approach adopted by SNH as the deer authority, where the Group considers that SNH needs to re-balance the focus its work. Section 28 then considers the need for further refinements to the provisions of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to ensure effective deer management that protects public interests.

Footnote

1 DWG Terms of Reference, Scottish Government, September 2017.