Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill - deer management: final business and regulatory impact assessment

Section 2: Engagement and information gathering

Engagement approach

The Scottish Government undertook a wide range of meetings and discussions with public and private stakeholders over several years in order to acquire a broad knowledge and understanding of the complex issues around land management and the land uses in Scotland affected by deer and their impacts. This has included the work of the DWG (discussed above), taking views from key stakeholders in 2021 on the DWG Report and recommendations, the statutory stakeholder consultation carried out in May 2023 on changes to remove the close season for male deer, amend the minimum weight of bullets to allow the use of non-lead alternatives and permit the use of night sights when shooting deer , and more recently a public consultation on the proposed changes to the deer legislation which closed in March 2024. The responses to these, along with discussions and feedback gained during a number of other formal and informal engagements were collated and used to inform this BRIA.

Consultation within government

The following government agencies and departments have been consulted in the preparation of this Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment:

• NatureScot have provided advice on issues relating to their role as Scotland’s deer authority
• Scottish Animal Welfare Commission provided advice in response to our deer management proposals during the consultation on the deer elements of this Bill
• Justice Directorate, Scottish Government provided advice on issues relating to offences and sentencing;
• Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have provided advice on the current court and prosecution arrangements;
• Police Scotland have provided advice on the investigation of wildlife offences;
• Food Standards Scotland have provided advice in relation to venison;
• Local Authorities have provided advice in relation to Venison Dealers Licences
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have provided advice on appeals.
• Scottish Government, Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Economy have provided advice on deer management for agricultural purposes and on venison.
• Scottish Forestry have provided advice on deer and forestry policy.
• Forestry and Land Scotland have provided advice on deer management on Scotland’s National Forests and Land.

Public Consultation

The Scottish Government Managing deer for climate and nature: a consultation on the Bill ran from 5 January 2024 to 29 March 2024. The full analysis of the consultation, published 9 September 2024, can be found on the Scottish Government website: Managing deer for climate and nature: consultation analysis - gov.scot.

The public consultation received 1,632 responses, from a wide range of people, including over 100 organisations and businesses, around 27% of which identified as land management, deer management, farming or countryside sporting organisations. The responses to the consultation were considered in the drafting of the provisions in Part 4 of the Bill mostly via Citizenspace. An overview of the responses is shown in the tables below:

Business

Business stakeholders that previously notified an interest in deer management and venison were sent the public consultation directly and were encouraged to respond.

The development of these proposals was informed by the independent DWG review, whose membership comprised of representatives from academia, deer and land management, and conservation experts. The group met with a number of organisations and businesses, including deer managers, landowners and land managers, and trade organisations. That consultation formed the basis of the recommendations in the DWG report, and subsequently the provisions in Part 4 of the Bill.

In addition to the above consultation, throughout the development of the Bill, the Scottish Government continued to meet directly with key stakeholders and organisations representing groups or individuals who undertake deer management or are interested in venison for a range of different purposes and those who might engage a group or individual to undertake deer management on their behalf.