Author: John Bruce

LDNS & Wild Deer Best Practice. Spring 2025.

LDNS remains involved in the working group of WDBP and has been very active recently in two main issues.

Habitat Impact Assessing using Woodland Habitat Impact Assessing – lite, the Scottish WDBP arranged courses all over Scotland, hundreds attended and interest and skills in this method are developing and being undertaken pan Scotland by the entire sector, this is very gratifying,

I was asked to visit the lake District to exhibit the assessment o the main deer managers in England who have used a similar impact assessment on a walkthrough manner rather than a spot site manner, there were several things learned by both parties, one, reduce the diameter of the circle of assessment, and two adapt towards the English site recording sheet for improved assessment.

The Use of blood trailing dogs and leashes since the Hunting with Dogs Act has been introduced. There may be a query of how well controlled a dog is once it is un-leashed, especially should the deer die as the handler arrives on the scene.

 A complex letter was sent to the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee asking them to use their powers to amend the Hunting with Dogs Act to allow trained deer trailing dogs to operate un-leashed in the knowledge that any impact on the deer will be with the clear and undisputed intention to mitigate the welfare of the compromised injured deer.

Deer Management Round Table – Agenda

10:30 – 12:30, Wednesday 2 April 2025

NatureScot Battleby Office, Auditorium

10:00	Tea & Coffee available
10:30 – 10:35	Welcome and introductions	Colin MacPhail – NatureScot
10:35 – 10:45	Minutes of last meeting and actions	Colin MacPhail – NatureScot
10:45 – 10:55	Update from Strategic Deer Board	Grant Moir – CNPA/ Donald Fraser – NatureScot
10:55 – 11:25	Natural Environment Bill – deer provisions	Brodie Wilson – Scottish Government
11:25 – 11:45	Public perceptions of deer – presentation & discussion	Jessica Frater Darragh Hare, Oxford University
11:45 – 12:00	Uist tick-borne disease project; update & presentation	David Muir – Scottish Crofting Federation
12:00 – 12:20	NatureScot update on projects & regulation	Donald Fraser/ Paul Roberts/ Jamie Hammond – NatureScot
12:20 – 12:30	AOB	Colin MacPhail
12:30	Date of next meeting (tbc) & close	Colin MacPhail
12:30 – 13:30	Lunch

NatureScot

Wildlife Management

LDNS engages with Scottish Venison, May 2025.

I have been invited to join the Executive Committee of Scottish Venison to represent Scottish lowland low-throughput venison producers and processors who wish to use the Hunters Derogation to dispose of self-shot deer carcasses within their locality using the retained derogations EU178/2002, EU 852/2004 and EU 853/2004, or by disposing of the carcasses to an Approved Game Handling Establishment.

This is also under the domestic jurisdiction of the Local Authority Environmental Health Officers as premises such as chillers and processing sites, may need to be registered as Food Businesses.

Scottish Venison is a sector wide organisation linking Producers, (stalkers) to Approved Game Handling Establishments, (Venison Dealers), to promote the benefits of venison consumption across Scotland.

Scottish Venison supports a food safety standard in the form of Scottish Quality Wild Venison, which isn’t a quality assurance but a safety assurance standard, it has a membership standard induction and annual appraisal scheme for producers, stalkers, and for Processors, AGHE. The standards and the scheme are under review currently.

Research is being undertaken to determine if a standard can be devised to assist the low volume self-shot deer processors to market their venison as “Scottish Local Venison”, with a different logo.

The standards for all producers, the stalkers, would be the same, and most of the processing standards would be the same, but modified due to risk levels, triggers and throughput.

I have been asked to join the Technical Advisory Committee for the SQWV standards.

The Clerk of The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee,

Holyrood Parliament,

Edinburgh.

Dear Madam / Sir,

Natural Environment Bill.

Deer Working Group Recommendations,

Lowland deer and their management.

The Deer Working Group made many recommendations in 2020, mostly about the management of upland deer, notably the Red deer species, at much the same time the notion that there are 1,000,000 deer in Scotland was promulgated.

As the recently retired Director in Scotland of the British Deer Society, of some 18 years’ service, and a member of the Science & Research Committee there-of, which I also chaired, I must inform you that this number is an educated guess and that there is no peer reviewed research to support this assertion, it’s a bit of a myth, we simply don’t know how many there are before the culls start of after the newborn arrive, potentially 100,000 one way or 100,000 the other way.

Since the DWG report and recommendations were published, much water has spilled over the waterfall and much has changed. The Association of Deer Management Groups & Nature Scot have managed to influence the majority of Deer Management Group members considerably and the deer cull has been increased generally, and specifically where negative impacts were most noticeable. The proposed further increase in the cull may prove to have been unnecessary in some places, as most goals have been achieved.

During the same period the spotlight of interest has supposedly been turned onto the lowlands, where NatureScot employs a single deer officer, (whereas there are 9 or more deer officers in the Highlands), several Local Authorities will not manage deer, (even on Priority Sites in their remit), roe deer multiply at 200%, (400% more than red deer), the majority of deer controllers are private skilled volunteers operating at their own expense, often in quite a hostile environment with many safety problems to contend with. The final issue that they have to contend with is the low price that the venison achieves when sold to a Venison Dealer, typically £1.50/kg for an adult roe deer of 16kg, is £24 only.  The lowland skilled volunteers bear the cost of deer management.

It is noticeable that the questions being raised by the Rural Affairs and Islands committee members are generated by the Natural Environment Bill, often generated by the recommendations of the Deer Working Group, which was focused on red deer, but these are interspersed with newer topics taken from current affairs, sometimes about roe deer in lowland scenarios.

Lowland Deer Network Scotland has been under new management for 18 months as its former body collapsed during Covid, I have been busy since then rebuilding the social / stakeholder network and attempting to assist in the quest to facilitate the increased cull suggested.

In the lowlands where skilled volunteers are doing their best to achieve the culls suggested by their landlords, at their own expense, without any incentives, they typically have personal limitations on their time and budget and also in their capacity to transform the deer that they shoot into venison suitable for commercial release.

Sensing this problem, I undertook a survey of all known persons and organisation in our mailing list and also through the NGO’s and received interest from 125 respondents who declared whether or not they needed a new competent chiller unit, 70 responded affirmatively, 4 were incompetent, but 60 wanted personal chillers and 6 were contemplating larger scale collaborative chills or commercial intake for commercial processing.

Funds, (£85,000 net of administration costs), were made available by NatureScot to award 50% capital grants to appropriate and competent applicants, we have just reviewed the appointment schedule for 15 likely successful applicants. While this may seem a very small project it has enabled research and gathering of information and will hopefully lead to an extension of the project next year.

There are many aspects of deer and human behaviors which we blend to achieve desired aims and I would be pleased to make myself available to you as senior representative to discuss or consider any issues that you foresee or want to be informed about, as an active farmer and deer manager involved in the training of deer managers I am quite well informed, but not in Parliament as often as I used to be.

I have been involved with SNH for many years, if not decades, I was employed by SNH as one of the four people employed to act as an advisory committee when DCS converted into SNH and have assisted on Committees such as:

The Competence Review committee, of which I was vice chair.

The Wild Deer Best Practice Working Group, which I have assisted on for 20 years.

I chair the PAW, Partnership for Action against Wildlife crimes Poaching & Coursing Priority Group and I advise the Legal team for PAW.

I have recently joined the Scottish Quality Wild Venison Committee as well as the Technical Advisory Group thereof.

I thought it appropriate to introduce myself as many topics and questions are now emanating from interest in my remit, as opposed to the hills and red deer sector.

Regards,

John Bruce.

John Bruce, Chair of Lowland Deer Network Scotland,

Tuesday 10 September 2024, 10:30 – 12:30

Teams meeting

Welcome and introductions

Colin MacPhail welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Minutes of last meeting and actions

The minutes from the meeting last DMRT meeting on 26^th March were agreed.

Hugh Dignon (Scottish Government) gave an update on the outstanding AP from the last meeting which was to provide an update from DEFRA on non-lead ammunition and the phasing out of lead ammunition. This is currently out for second stage of consultation under UK REACH.  Expecting a view to be shared within a month with a view to the National Authorities deciding whether legislation is needed with a transition period of approximately three years to a ban on non-lead ammunition.

Update from Strategic Deer Board (SDB)

Donald Fraser (NatureScot) gave an update on the most recent SDB meeting. The most substantive parts of the agenda were the proposed new deer legislation and the incentives to complement this.

SDB also discussed the how to increase the accessibility of deer management on public land to ensure a fair approach across all types of landowners, including public bodies.

Donald also updated on cross-working between NatureScot and RPID. This work aims to extend NatureScot’s geographic reach to request cull return information from a greater number of properties by April 2025.

SDB also considered how it could further influence incentivisation in the future.

Managing Deer for Climate and Nature: consultation report and new legislation update

Hugh Dignon signposted the publication of the recent analysis report following the consultation on Managing Deer for Climate and Nature. https://www.gov.scot/publications/managing-deer-climate-nature-analysis-consultation-responses/pages/2/

Hugh also updated on the Programme for Government which confirms the bringing forward of a Natural Environment Bill, which includes deer provisions. This Bill will be taken forward this Parliamentary year however there is currently no detail on timings as this depends on the Parliamentary timetable. It is anticipated that the Rural Affairs Committee will lead on the Bill.

It was noted that whilst there is opposition to Deer Management Nature Restoration Orders, SG remain of the view that new powers are needed for nature and climate. The exact form of these powers (ie DMNROs) is something SG will give active consideration to – particularly around key concerns such as the thresholds and triggers for implementation. However, how the Bill is progressed will ultimately be a Parliamentary decision.

NatureScot Operational Regulation update

NatureScot provided an update on landscape-scale operational priorities through the Operational Workstream of the SDB.

NatureScot updated on the current Section 7 areas; Caenlochan and North Ross where positive progress is being made. The Section 8 process at Loch Choire is with SG following one objection to NatureScot’s notice of intent being received. SG and the Minister will consider next steps in terms of upholding the objection or progressing the Control Scheme.

Deer management pilot incentive schemes

NatureScot and CNPA provided an update on the three incentive pilot schemes. Uptake for the South Loch Ness and Central Belt schemes has not been as significant as expected so the schemes will remain open for longer than planned and efforts will be made to understand what the barriers to uptake are.

Significant work has been put into the development of the NatureScot Deer App to support the mechanics of these schemes. The Deer App has the potential to support compilation of cull return and additional data at the national scale in the longer term.

Detail on the Incentive Pilot Schemes being run by NatureScot can be found on our website: https://www.nature.scot/deer-cull-incentive-schemes-launch-help-tackle-nature-and-climate-crises#:~:text=The%20schemes%20will%20start%20in,develop%20any%20future%20incentive%20schemes. With more detailed guidance here: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-wildlife/managing-scotlands-wild-deer/deer-management-incentive-scheme-pilots

Food Standards Scotland Update

Elena McWatt updated DMRT on an increase in interest for more Approved Game Handling establishments that FSS is seeing. EM also indicated FSS interest in exploring the development of a UK register of hunters, with a view to this being in place by Sept 2025.

AOB

Discussion on recent Ferraro & Hirst (2024) paper on the practice of leaving deer carcasses on the hill: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.12356.

Agreement in principle that the WDBP steering group would be the avenue for taking this discussion forward further if updates to guidance were considered necessary.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be 10:00-12:00 on Tuesday 17 December. Venue or online to be confirmed nearer the time.

Actions

AP – NatureScot to share additional analysis of cull return data to understand distribution across different parts of the sector – with a view to understanding progress towards meeting 50K annual increase in culls

AP – NatureScot to report back on a meeting with Police Scotland where DVCs and approaches to the dispatch of injured deer is on the agenda

AP – SG to come back to ADMG on the issue of the consultation question on incentives that was published on the original (pdf) consultation document but was omitted from the final online document.

Attendees (as on 4 September)

John Bruce	Lowland Deer Network Scotland (LDNS)
Doug McAdam	WDBP
Peter Clark	BASC
Jake Swindells	Scottish Countryside Alliance
Jenny Greaves	Scottish Forestry
Mike Flynn	SSPCA
Nadia Flaherty	Scottish Land and Estates
Ross Ewing	Scottish Land and Estates
John Fletcher	Veterinary Deer Society
Alex Hogg	SGA
Alan McDonnell	Trees for Life
Grant Moir	CNPA
Al Monkman	BDS
Hazel Forrest	SWT/LINK
David Muir	Scottish Crofting Federation
Elena McWatt	FSS
Duncan Orr-Ewing	RSPB / LINK
Ben Pacholek	Police Scotland
Richard Cooke	SVP
Harriet Donald	LLTNPA
Niall Evans	LANTRA
Linzi Seivwright	ADMG
Hugh Dignon	Scottish Government
Tom Turnbull	ADMG
Anton Watson	FLS
Dan Watson	NTS
Colin McClean	CNPA
Mike Cottam	CNPA
Donald Fraser	NatureScot
Jamie Hammond	NatureScot
Lousie Farmer	NatureScot
Holly Deary	NatureScot
Colin MacPhail	NatureScot Board member – Chair