Correspondence regarding raven controls: EIR release

Information requested

“Please provide copies of all correspondence to and from the Scottish Government, and minutes/notes, relating to meetings and discussions about a potential 2026 'trial' to control (kill) Ravens on the pretext of protecting waders.”

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the specific information you have requested as we do not hold any information in relation to meetings and discussions about a potential 2026 'trial' to control (kill) Ravens on the pretext of protecting waders. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Regulation 10(4)

(a) of the EIRs confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

It may help if I explain that as part of the response to your request, a search request was submitted to Scottish Government Officials which resulted in no information being identified that would be within the scope of your request.

However, the Strategic Wildlife and Land Management Forum, which is chaired by Jim Fairley, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, is currently discussing the potential of licensing the control of ravens in order to conserve the wader bird population.

We can also advise that the minutes of all the Forum meetings are undertaken by NatureScot and are published on their website at Minister's Strategic Wildlife and Land Management Forum (SWLMF) | NatureScot . The minutes of the latest meeting which was held on 19 February 2026 will be published in due course.

This exception is subject to the ‘public interest test’. It is important to note that although we do not hold the information and have applied Regulation 10(4)(a) – information not held, it is a requirement that we have to apply the public interest test.

Wider guidance on the Environmental Information regime can be found in the Key Concepts section under ‘Information Not Held’ and ‘The Public Interest Test’ in the attached Scottish Information Commissioner Briefings and Guidance document. Further guidance on the public interest test can also be found on page 8 of the Scottish Information Commissioner guidance.

About FOI

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