Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 - proposed amendments: consultation analysis

John Muir Trust/Link Deer Group

Many thanks for the letter.

On behalf of Link Deer Group (as deputy convener) and the John Muir Trust we are fully supportive of the changes suggested. We believe these are essential to deliver better deer management in line with the urgent need for enabling natural climate change mitigation and boosting biodiversity. Native deer are an integral part of our ecosystems but in the absence of natural predators they need to be managed within environmental limits. In many places their numbers are far too high, to the detriment of habitats and species – including the welfare of the deer themselves. These measures will provide more tools for Scotland’s skilled deer managers to be better able to do their job, to manage deer for the benefit of biodiversity, climate and communities.

We are pleased that the Scottish Government is holding true to its commitment to deliver on the recommendations of the independent deer working group report and look forward to further measures in due course to implement the outstanding actions.