Statement from Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group:
“The reduction in the population of Scotland’s large and increasing deer population is urgently required to deliver a range of public outcomes related to the climate and nature emergency – including native woodland regeneration, peatland protection, and the creation of more diverse and resilient habitats for wildlife. We are satisfied that enhanced deer management can be delivered to the highest standards of animal welfare and best practice. We strongly support the Scottish Government’s proposals to improve the flexibility of deer management, based on the independent scrutiny of the Deer Working Group and its final recommendations. More than ever we need to make all of the tools available to Scotland’s skilled and experienced deer managers to deliver the urgent changes required for nature and for all of us.”
Image: Simon Jones