Grouse Moor Management Group: report following seventh meeting

Following the seventh meeting of the Group on 1 November at which oral evidence was taken, and a further meeting on 3 December when we also heard from Steve Redpath (Aberdeen University), Rob Cooke (Natural England) and Colin Shedden (BASC), the evidence-gathering phase of our work was completed.

Over a series of meetings throughout January and running through to April, from which our Specialist Advisers have been excluded, we are assessing the scientific evidence and a wide range of potential proposals for regulating grouse shooting. During this period I will be making no further comments on the work of the Group.

As stated in my first report on the Review’s Terms of Reference, the Group will submit its final report to the Cabinet Secretary before the end of June 2019. The Group will not be making any interim recommendations to the Scottish Government prior to submitting its final report. The Scottish Government will, in due course, publish the report on its website.