The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-16194, in the name of Elena Whitham, on the Common Ground Forum on deer. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
I invite those members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak buttons, and I call Elena Whitham.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the recent Nature of Scotland Award for Innovation to the Common Ground Forum for its work addressing challenging conflicts and relationships in the deer management sector; welcomes that the forum has brought together stakeholders, including land managers and conservationists, to build consensus and common understanding; notes what it sees as the importance of effective deer management, both in achieving nature restoration and the viability of rural businesses in many parts of the country, including in Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, and notes the view that all sides of the deer sector should continue to embed the Common Ground Forum’s approach.
17:28
I thank colleagues from across the chamber who signed my motion, enabling us to debate and celebrate the award-winning work of the Common Ground Forum, which has been instrumental in giving a collective voice to the deer management sector. That innovative approach has effectively managed conflict and traditionally difficult relationships in order to bring together key stakeholders, including land managers, conservationists and practitioners, to build consensus, and common understanding and purpose, where possible, with the ultimate aim of promoting a more collaborative approach to upland deer management. Let me tell members—that has been no mean feat.
The Common Ground Forum was born out of an approach that was made by the Association of Deer Management Groups to the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest in late 2020. After tentative discussions, it grew and more parties become involved, and a total of 50 protagonists—sceptical, but curious—from all sides of the deer sector gathered together for a two-day event that was facilitated by civic mediators, the Centre for Good Relations. I welcome Abdul Rahim, one of the centre’s mediators, to the public gallery this evening. A wide range of stakeholders attended the event, including traditional deer managers, environmental non-governmental organisations from Scottish Environment LINK, forestry interests, community groups and academics, plus staff from NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Deer management in Scotland relies on collaboration between land managers across landscapes that are diverse and often expansive. For decades, different objectives for landholdings have created tensions, in particular—and acutely—between sporting and conservation interests. In many instances, unfortunately, that has resulted in broken relationships and conflict.
However, I am pleased to say that the Common Ground Forum is tackling the issue head-on. Over those initial few days, while most of us felt that resolving the deer management conflict was a long shot, a wee germ of hope that it just might work started to be felt across the board. Confidence has visibly grown in the years since, with clear signs of progress among those who have engaged in the forum’s work as word about it has spread. The forum’s focus is now on embedding its approach to bring about more positive relationships for the long term—a process which will, it is hoped, make the forum obsolete in three to five years’ time.
Those who are involved have seen how the forum can contribute to a vision of a greener, healthier and economically vibrant future for deer management. The forum takes no side in the debate about deer and avoids attempting to assess disputes from above or outside. Instead, the sole focus is on enabling the stakeholders themselves to own and transform their relationships with others, so as to build self-sustaining solutions.
That is key to how such forums operate effectively. It is not about being an arbitrator—it is more about being a facilitator and helping the group to find their common denominators, thereby creating a collegiate voice that can be amplified. That is hugely important in dealing with complex legislation and consultations, and it enables the group to present to ministers and committees a common purpose and ask.
More than 250 stalkers from different backgrounds across Scotland have directly engaged with the process to discuss the future of deer management, and to make their voices heard in Parliament to help shape the future. Through a series of workshops and events, the forum has engaged with more than 500 people from across the deer sector and related community and land management interests. So far, 148 individuals and 42 organisations have signed up to the common ground accord, which sets out principles for respectful and constructive dialogue. That is a key factor in the forum’s success.
Capacity building has also been a key strand of the forum’s work, and 27 change makers have been trained in understanding conflict and how to manage it. Deer management group chairs have also gathered twice to discuss handling conflict in their role, with further day-long gatherings scheduled. That approach has been transformative, and we can see real signs of progress at policy and advocacy level, with stakeholders who hold different perspectives and objectives coming together to develop and propose joint messages and solutions on shared interests such as venison, deer welfare and funding models.
A recent independent evaluation of the process, which was undertaken for a PhD by Callum Leavey-Wilson, has provided a candid report on progress to date and highlighted where relationships might still need to be addressed a wee bit.
I first became aware of the forum when Tim Eagle, who I see is in the chamber, sponsored a lunchtime event in the Parliament last year; I must say that I came away from that event enthused and dismayed in equal measure. I was blown away by the approach that was being undertaken, but dismayed that there were not more MSPs in attendance. However, those of us who were there assured the forum’s members that we valued the work that they were undertaking, and that we were keen to find ways to engage further to hear their take on proposed legislative changes affecting deer management.
I am glad to say that there have been real signs of progress at a policy and advocacy level, with work undertaken by Scottish Environment LINK, the Association of Deer Management Groups, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association and Scottish Venison in discussing changes to deer policy with ministers and members of the two relevant parliamentary committees.
That joint advocacy was based on discussions that were held by the Common Ground Forum on difficult subjects—it is important to think about those difficult subjects—such as the changes that were proposed at that time to the close season for female deer. The shared messaging has focused on shared interests in developing Scotland’s venison market—I think that members across the chamber all agree that we need to develop that market; the ways in which new regulatory powers are introduced; and the funding models that will be essential to delivering Government strategy for climate and nature.
Currently, the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill looks to the deer sector to make changes to deer management to enhance biodiversity and store carbon through peatland and native woodland restoration. It is in everyone’s interest to maintain workable relationships across the deer sector so that management can function effectively in our upland landscapes. That will not just be a benefit for nature and the natural carbon cycle; it will accelerate and build over time as soils and habitats restore themselves under reduced pressure from browsing animals, with deer being a prominent part of that.
However, it is crucial that we remain mindful of the need to protect, if not increase, deer-related jobs in rural communities through the period of change ahead. Whether they are focused on traditional sporting or conservation interests or both, the skill and the dedication of deer managers of all backgrounds are essential to delivering the changes that we need across the country.
By bringing those key professionals together, the Common Ground Forum is reducing the conflict affecting working lives and is supporting deerstalkers to co-develop their own solutions to the challenges ahead. That is an approach that we should champion and support at every turn, including by ensuring that the forum is resourced appropriately. I would like to hear the minister say a wee few words about that in his response later.
I call Tim Eagle.
17:35
You are now coming to the end of your long day in the chair, Deputy Presiding Officer. You have done a great job.
I thank Elena Whitham for bringing the debate to the chamber today. One of my very first engagements in the Parliament was with the Common Ground Forum. I had been asked by another member to host, as they had another engagement at the last minute. I remember feeling slightly nervous as I walked in, having heard of the group but not having had much involvement with it before. That nervousness left quickly, as I found inside the room a wide group of people from various backgrounds—yet all with a shared vision for moving deer management forward in Scotland. I was very grateful that Elena was in the room with me to help me that day.
As Elena Whitham mentioned, the Common Ground Forum is a collaborative initiative, uniting more than 100 stakeholders from Scotland’s upland deer management sector. Established in October 2023, the forum aims to foster mutual respect and consensus building to achieve sustainable and integrated deer management, aligning with Scotland’s environmental and rural development goals. The seven commitments that bring the group together under the accord work to ensure that all are heard, all are listened to and solutions can be found. It is a great structure, and it has worked.
As I understand it, the Common Ground Forum sees that high-quality, sustainable, ecological land has great benefits to our society, from supporting future generations to maintaining resilient rural communities. It brings together all those who wish to have positive engagement on how to best manage deer in Scotland. The forum’s successes have shown just what can be achieved when dealing with difficult subject matter when all are prepared to listen and learn. Its strength has been found in fostering positive debate, understanding and collaboration.
Due to those successes, there is arguably a case that the implementation of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, in whatever form that takes, could benefit from engagement with the forum in the future. There is the potential to learn from those who work in the area for guidance when developing secondary policy, particularly in relation to a code of practice and a register of authorised persons. The group could also be used to engage with and support practitioners in what they need to do to in order to comply with any changes.
As for the group itself, I think that there is space to go further. While the group mainly brings together people from the upland deer management context, as I understand it, there is potential for its expansion to take in more recreational shooters and to hear more about the lowland and urban context of management and what challenges that brings.
I offer my whole-hearted congratulations to all those who have been in, continue to be in, and have facilitated the group. It is no easy task to talk about deer management in Scotland but, together, they are achieving, and politicians across the Parliament are listening and learning from them.
I call Christine Grahame.
17:38
I do not know about you, Deputy Presiding Officer, but I have certainly had a long afternoon.
I congratulate Elena Whitham on securing the debate. Some time ago, the cross-party group on animal welfare had an informative briefing on Scotland’s deer population and management—and I should declare an interest as convener of the group.
There are more than 1 million wild deer in Scotland, with no natural predator. Although deer are free ranging and belong to no one, the right to take or shoot deer is associated with land ownership, so whoever owns the land that the deer are on has the right to shoot them.
Red deer might travel long distances in search of food, however, often covering more than one land ownership area. Therefore, managing red deer sustainably in the uplands requires collaboration, as has been mentioned, and that is made possible by voluntary deer management groups. NatureScot works with the Association of Deer Management Groups, local deer management groups and others.
The deer in lowland and urban areas are predominantly roe deer, which are more solitary, secretive and territorial than red deer. Land ownership patterns are more fragmented in those areas, and managing roe deer there is very different from managing the red deer in the uplands. Although deer management across Scotland is a voluntary and collaborative activity, NatureScot has statutory duties to intervene in specific circumstances.
Fences are sometimes used to manage deer, say, for road safety or to protect woodlands in the short term while they recover. However, depending on the situation and the area, fences are expensive and do not always work. They can damage other animals, and they simply move a large deer population from one area to another.
The fact is that there are too many deer, and they need to be managed. I am not talking about some stereotypical rich foreigner swanning around a landed estate in his plus fours, having a poor beast practically lined up for him to shoot. I am talking about sensitive, selective culling for the health of the animals, because gone are the wolves that would have predated on them.
Such an approach protects the landscape, too. The Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 sets out when, where, how and by whom deer can be shot, and it also defines the periods of the year when the killing of deer is or is not permitted. Those periods are known as open and closed seasons, respectively, and the dates vary according to the deer species. Following consultation, the Scottish Government removed the closed season for male deer of all species in Scotland, with effect from 21 October 2023. The 1996 act also requires that only certain specifications of firearms and ammunition can be used to kill deer, to ensure that the deer are shot as humanely as possible.
On the broader issue of deer culling, I should say that I take no pleasure in deer being culled, but the situation with the deer population means, unfortunately, that it is a necessary evil. There are 1 million wild deer in Scotland, up from around 500,000 in 1990, and that increase in the deer population has led in some areas to overgrazing, which can strip the environments that other species need to thrive. Indeed, the 2023 “State of Nature Scotland” report found that, since 1994, when the monitoring of 407 species of plant and animal life began, the abundance of such species has declined by an average of 15 per cent. In the past decade alone, there has been a decline of 43 per cent. I am not saying that the decline is all attributable to the deer, but it is a fact.
Where culls are necessary, it is essential that they are carried out in a way that minimises suffering and takes animal welfare into account. For example, I would want culls to be undertaken by experienced shooters, who are more assured of a quick kill and know how to identify animals that might be diseased than an inexperienced shooter who would run the risk of maiming. Moreover, I want culls to be restricted to areas where there is evidence that the number of deer is a problem.
I understand that culling is a highly emotive issue, and I do support animal welfare, but appropriate—and appropriately monitored—culling is about animal welfare, too. I hope that that provides some context.
17:43
Good evening, Deputy Presiding Officer and thank you for calling me to speak for Scottish Labour. I congratulate Ms Whitham on securing parliamentary time to debate deer management.
As we know, effective deer management is vital if we are to meet our goals for woodland management, carbon sequestration and habitat health. According to NatureScot, an increase in the national cull of 50,000 deer each year will be needed to meet the targets in the Scottish biodiversity strategy.
We know, too, that venison is a source of lean protein and a sustainable food source, with the potential to contribute to the nutrition of the nation. It is welcome that Jura is leading the way in that respect, with the initiative launched by Argyll and Bute Council to put wild venison on the school menu. Too often, that native wild protein source is not reaching our plates, and that needs to change. There are challenges at every stage of the venison food supply chain, and it all starts with deer management.
As we have heard, the Common Ground Forum brings together a network of individuals committed to a more collaborative approach to deer management. The forum is a welcome development, because although there have been good examples of co-ordination of deer management across boundaries in the past, that has not been enough and the deer population seems to be growing out of control. Constituents in my North East Scotland region have told me that, on some estates, there is a determined unwillingness by an irresponsible few to cull sufficient numbers of deer, because of the income generated from recreational shooting. The same applies to other areas, too.
When those kinds of private pursuits impact on our public goods, they cannot be allowed to continue. However, under the current concentrated pattern of land ownership in Scotland, there is little that a community can do to challenge such irresponsible landowners. We need these vast estates to be broken up where they are found not to be working in the public interest. The Parliament has an opportunity to introduce such a test through the Scottish Government’s Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, and I encourage all members to support that proposal.
Deer culling is only the first step in the process of managing deer numbers, because we must also consider what happens to the carcasses. I have heard mixed reviews of attempts to integrate culled deer back into the local ecosystem and shocking reports of deer carcasses being buried. Therefore, it is all the more commendable to hear of organisations such as Fair Feast, which provides a consistent supply of venison to rural food banks across Scotland; its venison is butchered and packaged on site to maintain the lowest possible carbon footprint, and its mission is
“To protect the environment, by sustainably managing deer, and providing for the community, through consistent food banks supply.”
As a nation, we cannot afford to allow venison to go to waste while people are going hungry. Gone are the days when venison was a preserve of the privileged few—it is now for the people, as all our commons should be.
17:47
I thank Elena Whitham for securing the debate. She has outlined well how the Common Ground Forum was set up and how it is working. The debate is also very timely, given that the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, of which Ms Whitham and I are members, is scrutinising the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, part of which focuses on updating the deer management legislation.
Deer are a keystone species and help shape our ecosystems. Light grazing can keep in check competitive plant species, allowing plant diversity to thrive. In addition, microhabitats are created when deer disturb ground with their hooves and fertilise the soil with their dung. However, a high density of deer causes problems; indeed, the Wildlife Scotland Trust has said that these “gentle gardeners” can become “metaphorical bulldozers”.
In my South Scotland region, as in other rural areas, we have a specific deer management group; in my case, it is the Galloway and Dumfriesshire deer group. I spoke to the chair of the group yesterday and will be meeting him and the vice-chair on Friday to discuss deer management issues, specifically lowland management needs and the differences with highland or upland needs.
I agree with the deer group chair that deer management is not just a rural issue. We have witnessed more deer in peri-urban and even urban areas, causing damage in residential areas and to gardens. Of course, there are issues on our local roads, too, with larger fallow deer colliding with vehicles, causing severe accidents and damage to those vehicles—or even writing them off.
The local deer group brings together a variety of stakeholders, with the aim of ensuring the safe and sustainable management of our different species of deer to help address overgrazing and to promote biodiversity and a healthy natural environment. People often cite conflict over how we best use and manage the finite resource of land, but when we think about the interests of conservationists, rewilders and the agricultural sector, the fact is that conflict is not always inevitable. We need to find a way of managing and resolving any conflicts that arise and bringing together everyone with an interest in this issue, and the work of local deer management groups and the national Common Ground Forum that Elena Whitham has praised in her motion and speech is crucial to that holistic approach.
One example of joined-up working is happening on Jura and Islay, in Jenni Minto’s constituency, where locally sourced venison is now on the dinner menu at six schools. It is an excellent way of reducing food miles and providing healthy, protein-rich meals, as has already been mentioned. Of course, school meals are free to all students in primary 1 to 5, thanks to the Scottish Government.
This is exactly why the Scottish Government is funding projects such as the larder and chill facility at Barwhillanty near Castle Douglas. The costs to the Government are relatively small—in this case, around £20,000—but the potential benefits to the local community can be huge, including reducing the dependence on meat from further afield, reducing waste and keeping spending power in local communities. It is yet another string to the south’s bow with regard to its reputation for world-leading food and drink, and I want such projects to be extended further across the south. I therefore urge estates and anyone else involved in deer management to get the ball rolling by getting in their applications, so that we can see the innovation deployed on Jura being rolled out to our school students in places such as Dumfries and Galloway.
Capital funding for most pilot projects is aimed at developing the infrastructure for venison processing, storage and support, which is what we need for our local communities to turn deer management from a challenge into an opportunity. That support is also part of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill that I mentioned earlier and which, if passed, will modernise deer management by implementing many of the deer working group’s recommendations on deer culling at a local and national level. Again, getting the various stakeholders around the table to work together on the issue will be key to striking a balance and ensuring that we promote biodiversity and the natural environment to its fullest extent.
I again thank Elena Whitham for lodging her motion and I commend the work being done in this area by the Common Ground Forum.
17:51
Before I begin, I apologise to Elena Whitham and other members for missing the beginning of her speech. It has been a long day—I was in the chair at 8 o’clock this morning, dealing with stage 2 of the Housing (Scotland) Bill. However, I would not have missed this debate for anything. I am absolutely delighted to speak in support of the motion and the recognition of the work of the Common Ground Forum through the nature of Scotland award for innovation.
The debate is an important and timely acknowledgement of a quiet but transformative piece of work that has begun to shift the tone and approach in Scotland’s upland deer management sector. By bringing together deer managers, conservationists and rural landowners, the forum has created space for trust, dialogue and shared purpose in one of the most sensitive and contested areas of land use—deer management.
Deer management is not a marginal issue. Effective, ecological and sound deer management is central to our ambitions for nature restoration and climate action. As the Scottish Fiscal Commission has outlined, if we are to meet our climate targets, Scotland will need to spend around £11.5 billion in public investment up to 2050 on land use, land use change and forestry. That is significantly more per capita than in the rest of the United Kingdom, because we have peatland to restore, forests to plant and more land under active management. That means changing how we work on the land and doing so in a way that supports those who live and work there.
Just as we invest in roads and bridges to connect communities, we must invest in the soft infrastructure of trust. We need forums such as the Common Ground Forum to bring people together to share knowledge, build understanding and co-operate on solutions to shared challenges.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a meeting of the Common Ground Forum. About 80 stalkers, conservationists, estate workers and contractors came together to speak openly about the need to evolve practices. Many of them work alone, yet the forum creates space for them to exchange information, debunk misinformation and get up to speed with new techniques and technology. They came together under the common ground accord, which sets a standard for respectful behaviour throughout the upland deer management sector, and encourages participants to keep an open mind, listen to understand, engage honestly and work towards mutually beneficial solutions.
Although upland deer managers benefit from deer management groups, lowland areas, as we have already heard, often lack that structure. We must do more to support lowland stalkers through local forums, regional co-ordination and tailored support.
We must also recognise that managing deer for ecological recovery, if we are serious about restoring our degraded natural systems and meeting the target of protecting 30 per cent of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030, will require more trained stalkers, not fewer. That means investing in skilled development and providing structured training routes into the sector.
I urge the Scottish Government to ensure that wild deer, which are currently overabundant on our hills, are treated as a viable and sustainable source of protein. Aligning deer management with the aims of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 offers the opportunity to put healthy, locally sourced venison on the menu in Scotland’s schools, hospitals and other public kitchens. We have already heard this evening from two members about the incredible efforts on Jura and in the primary schools in Argyll and Bute.
I commend the Centre for Good Relations for the key role that it has played in facilitating the forum’s work and emphasise my belief that that kind of collaborative approach should be core to how the Scottish Government funds rural development. I have had numerous conversations with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands about the need to fund soft infrastructure work. I trust that the debate today demonstrates to her and the minister the need to act on that.
The debate is about building a nature-positive future that allows rural people to continue to make a living using their skills and knowledge while healing the land that we all depend on. Let us support the forum’s approach and expand it to other sectors that work with Scotland’s land and sea.
17:56
I congratulate my fellow Ayrshire member, Elena Whitham, on bringing this important issue of deer management to the chamber.
Although the imagery of the majestic stag holds a strong cultural significance in Scotland, it has long been a reality that deer numbers are a huge challenge. Woodland regeneration projects struggle without deer-proof fencing, while excessive grazing and the trampling of peatland disrupts the growth of peat-forming vegetation and damages soil, hindering the natural carbon storage process, releasing greenhouse gases and destroying habitats that support a distinctive range of species.
Given those challenges, I welcome the individuals and organisations, ranging from the Scottish Government and its agencies, national park authorities, private landowners and managers, gamekeepers’ bodies, rewilding groups and agriculture, who have joined the Common Ground Forum. The initiative improves deer management and is welcome. The forum’s recent innovation award is testament to its excellent work.
Gamekeepers are also vital, as is Forestry and Land Scotland, which last year culled 42,500 deer, or roughly one third of the deer that were shot across Scotland. However, the reality is that almost 1 million deer are still unsustainably causing ecological imbalance. We have already heard about Jura, which, incidentally, means “deer island” in Old Norse.
The elephant in the room is that adult deer in Scotland have no natural predators. Little Red Riding Hood and the three little pigs have a lot to answer for. Such tales consolidated our centuries-old fear of Europe’s apex predator, the wolf. They were wiped out in Scotland in the 18th century and, in 1720 in Austria, Simon Wind was the last person executed in Europe for being a werewolf. In the preceding three centuries, hundreds of others met a similar fate.
Europe has matured since those hysterical times. In Italy, 3,300 wolves and hundreds of packs roam a country with three times their population density. Across Europe, only Cyprus, Iceland, Ireland, Malta and the UK have no wolves. In France, where wolves were eradicated in 1927, there are now around 800.
I am not advocating for wolf reintroduction—the minister would have a heart attack. However, the fact that wolves are widespread in Europe puts into perspective the Scottish Government’s timidity and deep conservatism in obstinately refusing to contemplate reintroducing the Eurasian lynx. Although it is not a silver bullet for deer control—with apologies to the late Mr Wind—it should be part of a natural solution to deer sustainability. In the 1990s, as reintroduced lynx expanded into new areas in Switzerland, they encountered dense populations of roe deer with no prior experience of predators. Within five years, consistent and highly localised lynx predation significantly reduced those deer populations and the remaining deer became more widely dispersed.
Other countries that have reintroduced lynx have seen similar benefits. In Scotland, areas with high deer concentrations would see them reduce, with declining browsing pressure benefiting biodiversity and commercial forestry. I urge the minister to engage with the lynx to Scotland partnership, which organised the national lynx discussion between May and November last year. It found that there is sufficient quantity and quality of habitat in Scotland to support a viable lynx population to aid deer control. In Iberia, conservation has seen lynx numbers grow from a critically low 94 to around 1,200, which has been backed by farmers, who are delighted at the fall in rabbit numbers and the increase in tourists that the lynx has brought. Although Scottish ministers talk of enhancing biodiversity, their antiquated view regarding lynx reintroduction exposes the Scottish Government as a laggard in such matters, which is something that it must urgently address.
I warmly welcome the Common Ground Forum on deer which, in a short space of time, has tackled the decades of conflict that has plagued deer management. It is crucial that various interests work collaboratively to facilitate effective deer management across Scotland. Nevertheless, it is my firm belief that we can sustainably control the unnaturally high number of deer only by reintroducing to Scotland a native predator that would complement the culling that is already being undertaken. The Eurasian lynx poses no threat to humans and very little threat to livestock or pets—certainly less than dogs. Evidence abounds across Europe, if ministers could be bothered to look at it with an open mind. I urge the minister to be bold in that regard and to engage with the insightful findings of the national lynx discussion.
Once again, I thank Elena Whitham for bringing the issue of deer management to the chamber.
Thank you. Having has his blood pressure suitably raised, I call Jim Fairlie.
18:00
I genuinely thank the members who have participated in today’s debate. If I have time, I will try to get through some of the points that they have raised. I especially thank Elena Whitham for securing this very useful debate.
Before I get into the detail of the discussion, I want to take a moment to recognise the excellent work that is carried out every year by our land managers, gamekeepers and stalkers in managing deer, and to congratulate the forum on its award, proving, in my opinion, that even the trickiest of issues can be talked about in a way that leads to solutions. Sometimes, we forget that that is an option for us.
We are fortunate in Scotland to have such a wealth of experience and expertise in those who carry out deer management in a range of often challenging circumstances. Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to go out stalking on the Glenfalloch estate with the people who manage the deer there, as well as with representatives of the Association of Deer Management Groups. It was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to see at first hand some of the excellent deer management that is going on across Scotland. It was also an opportunity to hear from people who are involved in finding common ground with regard to improving deer management relationships across Scotland.
Elena Whitham said earlier that she hoped that the forum would be obsolete in two or three years. I do hope not, because it will allow us to have continuous engagement on all the issues that we will face in the future.
Deer management is a vital part of land management, and it is carried out for a wide range of purposes. Understandably, there is a broad range of views on how it is best done. In the past, those differences have sometimes led to fractured relationships and a focus on opposing views rather than on the shared interest of those involved. I am incredibly pleased by the work that has been done across the sector to change that and to come together through the Common Ground Forum, with the support of the Centre for Good Relations—and I very much welcome the gentleman from the Centre for Good Relations who is here tonight.
In December 2024, the Common Ground Forum published a review of its progress. I recognise that there are two important pieces of work on that engagement. One of the Common Ground Forum’s areas of focus has been improving the opportunities for young stalkers and women in stalking to be represented and to have their views heard. There is still work to be done there, but it is a very important piece of work that should continue.
The other piece of work that has been really valuable has been on improving engagement between Government and the stalkers. Those voices are the most important but are sometimes the least heard, and I am grateful to the Common Ground Forum for its work on that issue.
I have also been particularly impressed by the forum’s focus on issues of commonality—for example, on venison, which a number of members have talked about. There are shared opportunities that we can benefit from in deer management and in recognising that we have a very good resource in the wild deer population, regardless of why we are managing it. Venison is one of those excellent opportunities.
Will the minister join me in congratulating NHS Dumfries and Galloway, which has been working with Forestry and Land Scotland to get wild venison on the menu in its hospital in Dumfries, on being one of the first national health service boards to embrace that sustainable and climate-conscious addition to the diet?
Absolutely—100 per cent. I endorse that approach, and the work that is going on in Argyll and Bute. People are starting to get involved in a number of different things, right across Scotland.
My colleague Ariane Burgess mentioned the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022—I am now going off script, so members will have to bear with me. I recently had a meeting on how local authorities and food providers can get involved with local deer managers to find out how to get venison into schools, hospitals and any other place where we can get the product consumed. That is exactly what we all want to see.
We have introduced reforms to deer legislation through the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, as has been mentioned, but that is just one part of the deer programme. Those changes are important, and that bill is intended to support our work on tackling the climate and biodiversity crises, but I know that legislation alone will not achieve our aims. We can achieve them only if we have a collective effort and skilled deer managers across the country. In that respect, I very much look forward to meeting the British Association for Shooting and Conservation next week to talk about lowland, as opposed to upland, deer management—I am going out on another stalking evening.
I get that there is a real issue here. We must recognise that, when we talk about deer management, we are talking about two different things: lowland deer management and upland deer management. The deer management groups in the Highland areas are a much more organised and well-put-together set of people who know exactly what it is that they are trying to do. There can be conflict, but when it happens, that is where the deer management groups come into their own. However, it is not the same in the lowland parts of Scotland, and we need to find some way of putting in place in those areas a model similar to that established with deer managers in highland areas, in which they can find common ground. It is a perfect example of good practice.
As we look forward, I want us to move away from the idea that deer management is a necessary evil. That is certainly not my view. Instead, I want us to work together, both in Government and on the—
Will the minister take an intervention?
I will happily take an intervention.
I am not going to talk about wolves or lynx, but I wonder whether the minister supports the export of deer pizzle to places such as Taiwan, for example, where it is used as a replacement for tiger penis in soups as an aphrodisiac. [Interruption.] I am saying this in all seriousness, because it takes pressure off, for example, India’s tiger populations.
Every day is a school day. I did not realise that that was happening, and I thank Kenneth Gibson for giving me a nugget of knowledge that I now cannot get out of my head. I do welcome the fact that he has given it to us, though.
As I have said, I want us to work together, both in Government and on the—
Will the minister take another intervention?
Yes.
The minister used the phrase “a necessary evil”, but I said in my speech that it was not a necessary evil, but a welfare issue. A lot of the conflict between those with animal welfare concerns and those who wish to do the culling has been resolved by seeing that it is also in the beasts’ interest that they do not overpopulate.
Christine Grahame makes a very good point, and it is exactly the kind of thing that will come out of the Common Ground Forum. The forum has certainly put us in a better place now than we were a few years ago, and I am very pleased with the work that it is doing. Indeed, everyone involved was recognised at last year’s nature of Scotland awards.
I take a great deal of interest in the views of those who do this work every day, and I very much look forward to the opportunities that the Common Ground Forum presents to us as we move forward. I should also say that I look forward to not having lynx in Scotland.
That concludes the debate.
Meeting closed at 18:08.Air ais
Decision Time