Returns submitted by Scone Estates / Mansfield Estates / North Logiealmond: EIR release

Information requested

Under FOI can you please provide us with the following information. Returns that have been submitted to Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division by Scone Estates/Mansfield Estates/ North Logiealmond under an Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) Moorland Option, which includes the supporting option for Predator Control that is eligible for:

• Protected sites (include SSSIs, SPAs and Ramsar sites) designated for breeding bird assemblage (excluding woodland sites), and/or short-eared owl and/or hen harrier
• 10km squares of black grouse range

Response

I can confirm that there was an approved Agri-environment Climate Scheme (AECS) contract that included a Moorland Management plan on only North Logiealmond Estate. This moorland plan included the supporting option of Predator control which requires annual records of the details of this predator control to be submitted to support the annual claims for this option.

I now attach copies of these annual records for 2019 and 2021(the last year of the contract).

We agreed to a request to withdraw from the predator control option for 2020 "due to knock on impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic whereby the gamekeeper employed by the estate was furloughed in line with the Government scheme. Therefore the traps were closed down and no predator control was carried out as per the contract requirements for the trapping period (1st March -30th June) and the majority of the lamping year.

Please contact me at alan.hendry@gov.scot or 03002445400 if you wish to discuss any of the information included in this response to your request.

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202300354671 - Information release

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