Tom Turnbull, Chair, the Association of Deer Management Groups, said:
“NatureScot has announced two incentive schemes for deer managers, one to the south of Loch Ness for sika, and another covering an area north of Glasgow and west of Stirling for all species but mainly roe and red. These pilots will run for three years and are based on the fact that deer management is delivered in almost all cases at a cost to the manager. A subsidy may therefore support Government targets of achieving the additional 50,000 reduction in deer numbers that is now being widely promoted.
“We welcome these schemes, although a national incentive scheme would have been fairer for everyone and would have supported Government and NatureScot in achieving their targets across the whole country, not just in areas which have undoubtedly been on the radar for action for some time. We hope that there will be money available for a national scheme if one or both of the pilots are deemed a success sometime four years hence, and the pros and cons of the pilots should be reviewed regularly as they are rolled out with the intention of moving to a national scheme as was previously announced earlier this year by the Scottish Government.”
Richard Cooke, Chair, Scottish Venison, also responds:
“Whilst welcoming the schemes, and an additional initiative in the Cairngorms National Park, we think that they may have their shortcomings. We would like to ensure that the venison sector is also supported, Deer are, after all, the source of one of our healthiest red meat, and deer management has so many positive credentials such as combating climate change, aiding biodiversity recovery and, by reducing food miles, supporting local food for local people.
“Is the capacity and infrastructure in place to support our increasing venison output as we don’t just need to ensure that venison starts its journey along the supply chain, but we need a market that wants that product and the processing capacity to deliver it to the consumer? We have to be so careful not to devalue venison and that people buy it for what it is – a glorious healthy product from a natural harvest undertaken by skilled deer managers and of which we can all be proud.”
Read the NatureScot news release here.
More information on the schemes and how to apply here.