Deer Management Strategic Board minutes: December 2024

Attendees and apologies

Robyn Chapman - SG ND (Secretariat)

Hugh Dignon - SG ND

Simon Jones - Forestry and Land Scotland

Donald Fraser - NatureScot 

Alan Hampson - Scottish Forestry 

Donald Henderson - SG ND, Deputy Director (Chair)

Mark Gaughan - SG ARE (Guest)

Alison Griffin - SG ARE (Guest)

John Kerr - SG ARE

Robbie Kernahan - NatureScot

Doug Knox - Forestry and Land Scotland

Grant Moir - Cairngorms National Park Authority 

Paul Roberts - NatureScot

Sam Turner - SG ND 

Apologies 

Brodie Wilson - SG ND

Items and actions

Welcome & Review                                  

Donald Henderson welcomed everyone to the meeting. The group agreed the minutes from the meeting of 2 September 2024 and discussed outstanding action points from previous meetings.

Grant Moir provided an update on the Cairngorms National Park Authority incentives pilot scheme, noting the Cabinet Secretary was due to visit the Park in January 2025.

AP (SG) – Robyn Chapman to publish the minutes of meeting of 2 September 2024 on the Scottish Government website now that they are agreed.

AP (NS) – NatureScot to provide a note of the positives which can be undertaken by ADMG.

 

Agenda Item 3 – Herbivore Project Summary

Alison Griffin and Mark Gaughan from SG ARE were invited to the Board Meeting to present an update on work looking at deer grazing impacts. A paper was circulated in advance of the meeting.

The Board welcomed in the update and any opportunities to feed in information and agreed to keep in touch with the team undertaking the work.

 

Agenda Item 4 – Incentive Pilot Schemes Update

NatureScot updated Board Members on their two pilot incentive schemes launched in October 2024.

The schemes are operating well with 22 deer controllers signed up across 19 properties in Central Scotland and 25 deer controllers signed up across 12 properties in South Loch Ness.

In both areas the deer app is being used to record cull level, this has shown 130 in South Loch Ness and 24 in Glasgow. Some of the cull thresholds which are the triggers for incentive payments to be made have now been met in both pilot areas with payments issued in November 2024.

NatureScot noted that uptake hadn’t been as high expected with local stalkers showing an element of distrust in the scheme and people being wary of using the app and providing their data. Low uptake in year 1 is something that NatureScot were aware as a likely risk from other similar schemes including equivalents in England. A formal evaluation and lessons learned review will follow after the completion of the pilot

NatureScot are also beginning a partnership project with Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) to undertake a ‘Lowground Venison Supply Chain Pilot 2024-26’ more information will be available on this once the project is finalised but SAOS will be engaging with groups of practitioners through Lowland Deer Network Scotland and working closely with Scottish Venison to explore community larder and processing infrastructure at various scales. The project is expected to commence in December 2024.

 

Agenda Item 5 – Deer Cull Return Data

NatureScot provided Board Members with an overview of NatureScot’s cull data; trends, limitations, future developments including the NatureScot Deer App. A paper was circulated in advance of the meeting

NatureScot receives annual cull returns from approximately 3500 properties in Scotland (the ‘reported cull’). The majority of these are in upland/ red deer range where they have good geographical coverage and reliable cull data going back to the 1990’s, however there are significant gaps in NatureScot’s knowledge.

NatureScot have recently been given access to RPID contact database. From 2025 NatureScot will request cull returns from approximately 20,000 registered agricultural properties. This will give them a more complete dataset; geographically and by species and will help address the current red deer/upland bias in their data.

The Board discussed the disparity of data between the Highlands and Lowlands where the ownership of land is more fragmented and held a full discussion about the various sources of data on deer culling that could be pulled together cohesively.

(AP SG/NS) – The Board asked for a paper to be pulled together outlining a potential strategy for improving data on Scotland’s deer cull

 

Agenda Item 6 – Legislative Update 

Hugh Dignon provided a verbal update on the current legislative position of the Scottish Government’s deer management policies which will be included in the Natural Environment Bill as set out in the Programme for Government 2024-25.

The Wildlife Management Team have been working on necessary policy instructions in relation to the Scottish Government’s deer management proposals.

The group also discussed the position around further regulatory powers for NatureScot and female deer close seasons following feedback from stakeholders and discussions which had been held with the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity.

The Board welcomed the update.

 

AOB

The next meeting is due to be held on 10 March 2024. A venue will be determined nearer the time.