Deer management powers reshaped in Scotland

The passage of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill is set to bring significant changes for deer management across Scotland, with implications for farmers, estates and rural businesses involved in controlling deer numbers and supplying venison.

The bill was passed at Stage 3 in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 29 January by 90 votes to 26 and will become law following Royal Assent in the coming months.

While it introduces stronger statutory targets for nature restoration and biodiversity recovery, it also gives public bodies enhanced powers to intervene where unsustainable deer populations are seen as blocking environmental progress.

See also: Lethal control of wild deer supported by nature groups

Landowner organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has welcomed a series of late-stage amendments which it says improve the bill’s workability for those managing deer on the ground.

Crucially for land managers, an amendment removed a presumption in favour of NatureScot using its deer management intervention powers, while new notification and objection rights will allow those affected by control schemes to be formally consulted.

Ross Ewing, director of moorland and strategic projects at SLE, said: “We also welcome the clarification around deer management intervention, including the removal of a de facto presumption in favour of NatureScot using their powers and the introduction of clearer notification and objection rights.

“Together, these changes provide greater transparency, fairness and accountability for deer managers, although a new right to request intervention voted through at Stage 3 is a cause for concern.”

A key development for the sector is the creation of a national deer management and venison plan, aimed at aligning environmental objectives with rural economic opportunities.

Mr Ewing described the creation of the plan as a “positive development”, saying: “If implemented in the right way, it has the potential to support deer managers, promote venison as a sustainable and locally produced food source, and provide a clearer framework for aligning national priorities with local delivery.”

Action needed

The Scottish government argues that action is needed, with unsustainable deer populations identified as a major barrier to woodland regeneration, peatland restoration and habitat recovery.

Scotland’s agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said the bill provides “better tools to manage our deer populations in a way that benefits both the environment and rural communities and creates business opportunities”.

However, SLE has warned that outcomes will depend on maintaining trust and collaboration, cautioning that over-reliance on intervention could undermine voluntary deer management partnerships that have delivered progress over many years.