By Duncan Orr-Ewing, Convener of LINK’s Deer Group
Over the past eighty years there have been no less than seven separate Government-appointed inquiries into the “red deer problem”. By 2010, red deer numbers had reached an all-time high of 400,000 animals and the Red Deer Commission was merged with Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot). The outgoing Chair of the Deer Commission said at that time “the current voluntary system has not evolved much in the past twenty years…if opportunities for reform are not taken then other approaches need to be considered”. In 2016 an SNH Report to the Scottish Government – Deer Management in Scotland – highlighted “we are not confident that present approaches to deer management will be effective in sustaining and improving the natural heritage in a reasonable timescale”.
In 2017 the then Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, announced that she was setting up an independent review on deer management in Scotland and stated “by setting up an independent group on deer management, encouraging SNH to use their full range of powers and improving deer management plans, we hope to address the main challenges and ensure we protect our environment and the interests of the public, as well as support the rural economy.”
In 2020 the independent Deer Working Group (DWG) published its report and made nearly 100 sensible recommendations for reform and modernisation of deer management systems and process in Scotland. In 2021 the Scottish Government responded to the DWG Report and accepted most of the recommendations, whilst also indicating that these would be implemented “as soon as practicable”.
In 2025, we finally have the promise of new deer legislation in Scotland as part of the Natural Environment Bill. This process started in late January with a Deer Management Round Table convened by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament. The draft Natural Environment Bill including deer management reforms was finally published in February and we are pleased to be able to warmly welcome this progress.
The LINK Deer Group welcomed the chance to participate and has expressed its public support for the full implementation of the Deer Working Group’s recommendations.
Meanwhile, deer numbers of all four species of deer present in Scotland (red and roe deer are native species and sika and fallow deer are non-native) are now at record levels, estimated at one million animals. This population figure is based on official Scottish Government statistics compiled by NatureScot and the Strategic Deer Board. The Deer Working Group Report (December 2019) stated on page 38, under National Population Estimates that “there could be approaching a million wild deer in Scotland”. In The Herald newspaper on 22nd July 2022, Lorna Slater MSP stated “the population of deer in Scotland is now estimated to be in excess of one million….” and in an article in The Herald on 26th August 2022 Donald Fraser, Head of Wildlife Management at NatureScot was quoted as saying “there are around one million deer in Scotland”. Since NatureScot took on responsibility for deer management in Scotland the deer population has therefore effectively doubled.
So why does this all matter? Most people accept that deer are an important and iconic part of our natural heritage, and certainly everybody wishes to see their populations at healthy and sustainable levels. In most other similar countries to Scotland deer populations are managed to sustainable levels – usually involving statutory systems informed by good population data – as a natural and healthy food resource; to prevent damage to a variety of public interests; and to promote deer welfare.
Here in Scotland the situation is more acute as deer lack any natural predators; in our view we have over-relied on voluntary approaches led by private landowners; we have lacked public incentives for deer management; our venison market does not work well; and NatureScot has been reluctant despite Ministerial instruction (as above) to use the full range of its statutory powers for fear of legal challenge.
Voluntary systems of deer management have simply not delivered over a long period of time what is now urgently required. To give an example on the last point; Caenlochan in the Cairngorms National Park has had voluntary control orders under section 7 of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 with the relevant Deer Management Groups for over 25 years, and still deer numbers are well above sustainable levels, causing damage to the fragile montane habitats. According to the Deer Working Group Report, between 2006-18 over £3m was spent by NatureScot on section 7 agreements and of eleven section7s only one has concluded successfully.
Better models for reducing deer numbers at a landscape scale have been shown by the likes of the Cairngorms Connect project and the Great Trossachs Forest project in the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks respectively. The initiatives are partnerships between eNGO landowners, one private landowner in the form of Wildland Ltd, Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot.
The Scottish Government has recognised the interlinked climate and nature emergencies, as well as a producing a new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. Sustainable deer management is a cross-cutting theme which delivers a wide range of public benefits including native woodland restoration; protection of public investment in peatland restoration; as well improving other habitats for wildlife. It also delivers human benefits such as prevention of road traffic accidents and a reduction in Lyme disease.
The LINK Deer Group supports full implementation of the Deer Working Group Report recommendations now set on in the draft Natural Environment Bill and we look forward to contributing to the further debate in the Scottish Parliament. For us, it is particularly important that NatureScot powers to intervene to reduce deer numbers are made more effective. We therefore support the proposals set out in the Bill to implement new, workable and more flexible powers to NatureScot to restore nature rather than to just prevent damage as previously. The approach of enhancement of habitats fits with the current needs of the Climate and Nature Emergency. We also think the time has now come for NatureScot to formally sign off and then monitor effective delivery of cull levels via Cull Approval Orders (recommendation 97 of the Deer Working Group Report) in important landscapes for conservation such as Scotland’s National Parks, Scotland’s Rainforest, Caledonian Pinewoods and other protected areas.