Author: Playfair Walker

 

I refer to your article (6 September 2015) ‘Deer fence would hinder ramblers’.

As in many other areas of the Highlands, deer managers in the southern Cairngorms are adapting to change and collaborative deer management is about negotiation between neighbours as to how best to meet the objectives of all concerned. The best mechanism is the deer management planning process which is moving to a new level across the 45 upland Deer Management Groups.

Given that finding a solution equates to progress, it is disappointing to see what is in fact a constructive discussion portrayed, as so often is the case, as a polarised conflict between two landholdings, and between deer or trees. Both are highly valued components of the Scottish countryside and it is possible for them to co-exist, but adaptive management is required.  Fencing, as now used successfully at Mar Lodge after many years of trial and error, may or may not have a role to play.

The landowners concerned in this matter are experienced and responsible and should be allowed to come up with workable solutions that meet their individual aspirations. In addition they should be trusted to deliver the public interest in terms of the environment and public access without other organisations that are indirectly involved clouding the issues from the sidelines.

 

The link to the article published in the Sunday Times on 6 September here http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1603413.ece

 

With 40 members and covering an area of around 150,000 ha, the Monadhliath Deer Management Group (MDMG) is the largest in the country and, in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), has recently adopted a new Strategic Deer Management Plan (SDMP).  As part of the MDMG’s ongoing commitment to partnership and openness, an event for local stakeholders was held on the Alvie and Dalraddy Estates on Tuesday 23 June to help develop the 10 year Strategic Plan. The objective of the day was to inform the widest group of local people who have interests in deer and habitat management and to invite and gather feedback from this group.

Facilitated by the DMG Chair Drew McFarlane Slack, the structure of the event was a mixture of presentations by the Plan Consultant Dougie Campbell and Q&A sessions that actively sought to ensure that all those attending had an opportunity to comment. Participants were then invited out onto the estate to continue discussion in a more informal setting.

Attendance was encouraging with around 40 people representing a broad range of interests. These included the agricultural and crofting community, local stalkers and estate managers, Agency staff from SNH, FCS and CNPA, a representative from the Scottish Government Research Team as well as local residents and businesses. Notably, at least five Community Councils were represented who very much welcomed the opportunity to attend and provided well-informed, pragmatic and extremely useful contributions. Of particular interest were the local communities who were keen to highlight the importance of deer management to an already fragile rural economy, at a time when local businesses in some of the smaller villages were struggling. They also hoped that local landowners could be encouraged to build for the future by increasing employment and land-based training opportunities, particularly for the young.

Whilst the presentation deliberately didn’t go into fine detail of the plan, perhaps more usefully highlighted was the importance of the steps in the planning process itself and of engaging with individuals right from the start. Information is a critical component of deer management planning and in this case an extensive initial data gathering period enabled priorities and areas of conflict to be identified. The next crucial step in the development of the MDMG plan was in recognising areas of common ground, upon which to build the negotiation phase.

The result of 18 months of intensive work on the plan has been to find a proposed management solution that 95 per cent of the member properties have subsequently signed up to. It is clear that finding a balance between private and public interests on the face of it has undoubtedly been a complex and challenging task, and in this case has required all those round the table to accept that compromise is necessary. This challenge however, is one not just faced by MDMG, but indeed one that all 45 DMGs throughout Scotland are currently undertaking, albeit perhaps not to the same scale or degree, but certainly with the same expectation.

As was so evidently supported and welcomed at this event, providing opportunities for wider discussion and consultation in the spirit of openness and transparency should be seen by DMGs as a valuable part of the process. Engaging in this way with the wider local interest can only help build confidence and relationships, both of which are essential components if deer management planning is to continue under the voluntary principle.

Linzi Seivwright, Consultant to ADMG

Further to the introduction of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 23 June 2015, Richard Cooke, Chairman, The Association of Deer Management Groups, said:

“As ever it is necessary to take time to consider the implications of draft legislation and this is a considerable Bill reaching into many areas of rural land management.   The interest of the Association of Deer Management Groups and Lowland Deer Network Scotland is confined to the proposed deer management measures and the repeal of the exclusion of shootings and deer forests from the valuation roll and therefore liability to pay business rates.

“The reintroduction of so called sporting rates will be a complex matter and will represent a major exercise for the Assessors covering all rural land including public land.   In particular, as in the system pre 1995, it will be necessary to distinguish between the culling of deer, of all species, wherever in Scotland, for management and environmental reasons (not rateable) and those culled purely for sport, a declining proportion of the total annual cull of over 100,000 deer.  Our main concern here is that the additional burden of business rates may act as a disincentive to sustainable deer management and related employment.

“The new powers set out in Part 8 of the Bill look to increase the powers of Scottish Natural Heritage to require deer management plans to be written, introducing penalties for failure; also creating additional functions for deer panels.  It was clear from the Consultation Paper which preceded the Bill that the Scottish Government were considering changes in this area and we require time to look at the implications of the Bill in terms of amendments to the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.   At first sight however, in view of the current progress by DMGs across Highland Scotland in creating new deer management plans which cover the public interest aspects of deer management,  SNH is unlikely to need to use these powers other than in exceptional circumstances.   SNH has been very successful in encouraging change where it is necessary without recourse to statutory powers and, with the support of ADMG, we would expect that to continue to be the case.

“As a final point it is necessary to restate the wide range of different circumstances in which deer of all species are managed throughout Scotland, from the Highlands to the most fertile parts of the lowlands including urban areas.  We need a flexible system which allows for appropriate management in any locality.”

 

 

 

The Monadhliath Deer Managment Group (MDMG) is the largest DMG in the country and, in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), recently adopted a new Strategic Deer Managment Plan (SDMP) for the period 2015 – 2024.

As part of MDMG’s ongoing commitment to partnership and openness, the Group is holding an event for local stakeholders on the Alvie and Dalraddy Estates on Tuesday 23 June 2015. This event is aimed at local farmers, crofters, councillors, MSPs, CNPA and conservation agencies. The objective is to inform the widest group of local people who have interests in deer and habitat managment and gather feedback from this group to assist in developing the SDMP.

The day will consist a presentation on the SDMP at Alvie House with time for questions followed by a visit to a shooting bothy for further discussion and lunch. Attendees should bring their own packed lunches.

If you are interested in attending you can register by clicking here.

In the UK last year (12 months to end June 2014), retail sales of venison increased by over 400% according to Kantar Worldpanel, and that doesn’t take into account what is sold directly by butchers, the restaurant, hotel and catering trade, farmers markets, ‘farm gate’ and mail order sales. To cope with this ever-increasing demand, UK suppliers are importing venison from New Zealand, Poland, Ireland and Spain and industry experts say that the UK is losing out on a lucrative market. In 2013 the equivalent of 29,000 carcases or around 1300 tonnes were imported to the UK from New Zealand alone. But over the last year the Scottish venison market has been limbering up to meet the challenge.

As a result of a campaign to promote the many benefits of venison as a healthy, nutritious and delicious food, and create awareness for the need for more deer farms to cope with demand, over the last six months 200 the first four deer farm demonstration days have seen attendance totalling over 200.

In the last 18 months 80 genuine enquiries about diversification into deer farming have been made to the Venison Advisory Service (VAS), 32 visits to assess potential deer farms at sites all over Scotland have been undertaken by VAS, and 16 detailed studies have been carried out. To date work has already started on six new deer farm units, with a total planned capacity of 2500 hinds. Once on stream these six alone could effectively more than double the current Scottish farmed venison output of 50 tonnes per annum, although in order to meet demand for Scottish breeding stock it is likely that the majority of hinds will be retained while only the stags will go for slaughter.

The objective of the Scottish Venison Partnership, endorsed by the Scottish Government, is to be producing an additional 1000 tonnes of farmed venison per annum by 2020. And it’s not only the farms which will capitalise on a growing demand, but also fencing companies, feed manufacturers, processors etc. This autumn a new dedicated slaughter facility will open in Fife specifically to service the expanding farmed deer sector with a capacity of 100 deer per week.

Spokesperson for the deer and venison industry in Scotland Dick Playfair says:

“It is satisfying to see that there is now some movement in terms of growth.  While the issue of Single Farm Payment is resolved in terms of support it will be helpful to know what is in the new SRDP (Scottish Rural Development Programme) that will be of benefit to Scotland’s deer farmers, or not.

“The target for new deer farms we believe is realistic, and not as great in number as we previously thought – indeed if Scotland can achieve 100 new farms with a capacity averaging 250 hinds these could produce in the region of 750 tonnes of venison per annum and give Scotland a really firm grounding in the farmed deer sector.”

During a venison feast lunch at Ballathie Country House Hotel in Perthshire on 28 August media guests were given the opportunity to hear about highland and lowland deer management (including a few words from Ballathie’s own gamekeeper who looks after stalking on the estate), the latest on deer farms, venison industry news and also to experience for themselves the culinary and tasty benefits of venison, thanks to special dishes created by Ballathie chef Scott Scorer.

“We are delighted to have been involved with Eat Scottish Venison Day and to have hosted this lunch as part of the celebrations” says hotel manager Jody Marshall.  “Stalking on the Ballathie Estate is popular with our guests and venison is naturally a favourite on our menu.  We are fortunate that our head chef enjoys creating interesting venison dishes, making good use of the local Ballathie larder on his doorstep”.  Ballathie is featuring venison on the menu for the next fortnight to help celebrate Eat Scottish Venison Day.

Eat Scottish Venison Day is on 4th September and many restaurants, butchers and retailers are putting on special offers and dishes to mark the occasion, including Campbell’s Prime Meat Ltd offering 20% off all venison products during the month of September, Loch Fyne Oyster Bar hosting a special venison BBQ from 12noon to 4pm on the day and Ballathie House Hotel will be featuring venison strongly on the menu for the week

Visit www.scottish-venison.info for more information about this iconic Scottish product.

The Land Reform Review Group has published its final report to the Scottish Government today. Running to more than 230 pages with 62 recommendations, the report goes into detail on topics including community land ownership, changes to the current tax system, and ways towards a ‘fairer distribution’ of land ownership.

The report addresses deer and deer management in some detail, and makes a number of recommendations over and above those as a result of the recent inquiry of the Rural Affairs Environment and Climate Change Committee, most notably the setting of culls by SNH, and that all landowners would have to apply to SNH for consent to cull deer. The report says:

The Review Group considers that Scotland’s populations of native red and roe deer are important national assets that should be sustainably managed in the public interest. The Group recommends that improvements should be made to the current statutory framework governing the hunting of deer in Scotland to ensure appropriate culls are carried out to adequately safeguard public interests.

The report however is not up to date in its conclusions on deer populations, nor with regard to the close working between SNH, ADMG and the Collaborative Deer Management Project that will underpin sustainable deer management under the voluntary principle going forward. Nor did the Land Reform Review Group consult with or take evidence from ADMG in the drawing up of its report or recommendations despite ADMG’s offer to do so.

For the full Land Reform Review Group document:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Review/land-reform/events/FinalReport23May2014

 

 

ADMG encouraged by Minister’s response to RACCE Committee regarding ongoing deer management and future funding support

Richard Cooke, Chairman, The Association of Deer Management Groups, says:

“ADMG is very encouraged by the constructive tone of the letter from Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, to Rob Gibson, Convener of the Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment (RACCE) Committee in response to the Committee’s recommendations following its inquiry into deer management and the environment last year. In particular, ADMG welcomes the provision of grant funding for the next two years to support the deer sector.

“It has long been stated that there is a strong public interest element to deer management and the provision of funding support for DMGs marks a breakthrough in terms of recognition of this by the Scottish Government.

“In terms of improving their performance, many DMGs have made good progress to date with limited resources. Now, following the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act, the implementation of the Deer Code and the inquiry by the RACCE Committee, considerable pressure has been placed on DMGs to raise their game. This includes the production and implementation of deer management plans, greater transparency and public accountability. Many of our members are already achieving this in all or part, but others are less well advanced – and we have until end 2016 to bring those up to speed.

“To this end we are currently undertaking a consultation among our membership to produce a DMG Benchmark to be launched in July. Now, this extra funding to be administered by SNH and which DMGs will be required to match-fund, will allow DMGs to increase capacity, and to further enhance deer management planning. It also bridges the funding gap until the new SRDP comes on stream in 2016 when we hope that provision will be made for more formalised and ongoing support for DMGs.”

The Association of Deer Management Groups, the representative body for those who manage Scotland’s upland wild deer, has launched a consultation on a Benchmark for Deer Management Groups at its Annual General Meeting today (Thursday 20 February) at Kingussie.

The voluntary basis of management of Scotland’s wild deer has been under scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment Committee (RACCE) which held an inquiry into deer management and the impact of deer on the environment.  The Committee has recently sent its report to the Minister.  This stops short of recommending a regulated approach and acknowledges progress by DMGs but states that bringing all Groups up to standard is a matter of urgency, suggesting a deadline of the end of 2016.

The Benchmark is intended to provide detailed guidance to Deer Management Groups on how they should operate effectively.  It will form part of the Joint Collaborative Deer Management Project which ADMG is undertaking along with Scottish Natural Heritage.

Richard Cooke, Chairman of the Association of Deer Management Groups says:

“We are putting the ADMG draft Benchmark out to consultation to all our Member DMGs because it is crucial that they understand what they need to do if the voluntary basis of deer management is to be considered fit for purpose and to continue into the future.  It is targeted mainly at the Deer Groups that now exist across the open hill red deer range.

“The Benchmark outlines how DMGs should operate.  It covers membership, meetings, constitution; a commitment to deer management planning, adherence to the Code of Practice on Deer Management and the ADMG Principles of Collaboration; counting, cull planning and habitat condition monitoring; also training and having a communications plan.

“While many DMGs will have no problem in attaining what will be required, or indeed already do so, other Groups have a lot of ground to make up and need to take on board that this cannot be ignored and that urgent action is required.  ADMG will provide whatever support is needed to help them do so by providing training, advice and mentoring.

“The crux of the situation is that unless we can prove that the voluntary system can not only deliver the individual and collective objectives of DMG members but also meet the expectations of Government, then a statutory system remains a real possibility.”

Welcome to the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Association of Deer
Management Groups. Click here for full report.

This year’s AGM is being held on 20th February at the Duke of Gordon Hotel, Kingussie (10.00am for 10.30am).  Those who wish to attend should advise ADMG in advance, to helen.polley@bidwells.co.uk