The Scottish Government

Theme

Issues/Ideas

Approaches to the different species

• Negative impacts that sika can have on woodlands and forestry should be considered as a separate issue
• Should not 'demonise' one species over and above another but deal with all species in terms of their impacts against management objectives

Non - Natives

• Cause for concern that there are non-native species fenced which if they escaped could cause many problems. This is a particular concern in the South West - lack of fencing quality assurance

Quality vs Quantity of income generation

• Consideration should be given not just to increasing the amount of money but also the quality of that money i.e. focus should be on investment into local communities etc - e.g. income from deer (stalking, venison etc) will benefit the local community more if it is related to the use of a full-time stalker within the community rather than for stalking lets where the income goes to the forest company/owner.

Wildlife Watching

• Potential to generate income through deer watching - perhaps as part of a larger wildlife watching and landscape experience
• Concern that this would not be practical in all habitats and areas -e.g. in larger forested areas in the Borders encouraging deer watching could be at odds with the management objectives of protecting commercial forest interests.
• Identify areas where there is potential to develop deer watching businesses.
• Successful wildlife businesses should be promoted - adopted as a model

Venison

• Generating money is difficult because of the current venison market.
• Organic certification schemes could be challenged to see if they can include wild venison
• Marketing of venison needs to be developed - should consider whether government could provide resources for this.
• There has been huge investment in venison production - no real benefits partly because venison is not being adequately promoted
• Public perceptions towards venison need to be changed - venison is still perceived to be the 'food of the rich'
• Need to address the issue of the quality of venison
• Is there a way of creating a graded system?
• It was accepted that there were issues with grading but agreement that it was at least desirable to know what species you were eating
• Venison in a woodland situation is often considered a by- product
• The disparity between the cost to the end user and the price paid by the game dealers needs to be addressed
• The strategy should make mention of the opportunity to make venison more widely consumed
• Could be incentives/guidance available to help estates market venison on a local level - miss out the middle man
• Greater promotion of local processing plants to add value locally
  More sharing of larders locally
• An investigation of the pricing policies of the game dealers
• The close season is not only about deer welfare but should also include achieving quality venison
• Promoting the use of venison in ready meals as this is a growth area in food consumption

Economic Assessment

• Increased expertise on socio-economics should be brought to bear on this assessment - need a greater view of the likely economic impact - one way of traditionally achieving this would be to carry out a cost/benefit analysis to identify the priority actions

SRDP

• More could be made in the strategy to articulate the potential link with the SRDP, particularly being a potential source of funding for some of the suggested actions

• There is a well developed expertise on environmental issues but not well developed on economic effects of the strategy - partly because of the absence of data. It is essential that expertise is brought in to sit alongside the environmental diagnosis. Economic indicators have to be developed. Currently this is work in progress and this could be taken forward with the Enterprise Companies

Increasing public participation

• Wildlife Watching
• Tension in reconciling different management objectives e.g. ensuring numbers are high enough to facilitate wildlife watching opportunities but not so high that they have a detrimental impact on other management objectives
• In appropriate areas there could be potential to create opportunities that would be welcomed by the general public

• Could look at establishing a centre for deer where the public are educated in the way that deer are managed etc. (e.g. Scottish Seabird Centre)
• Could add key aspects of deer management into the school curriculum

Seasons

• The Seasons debate should be considered as a part of the strategy and incorporated into the final document as a comprehensive approach to deer management

SEA

• There is a tension between the environment and socio-economics and there is a need to seek solutions to resolve this tension

SEA

• A cleared distinction should be made between the SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) and the S- EA (the Socio-Economic Assessment).
  
• A summary of the socio-economic assessment should be included in the strategy to counterbalance the non technical summary of the SEA.

Economics

• There was a suggestion that a budgetary framework should be added to the strategy

Favourable Condition Targets

• Concern at the emphasis on achieving EU favourable condition targets, particularly with regard to the short timescale
• Environmental section should begin by looking at the deer impacts on the wider countryside - favourable condition targets should be presented as a subset of actions - most people encounter deer outwith designated sites
• Can be difficult to understand criteria against which sites are designated

Deer & Biodiversity

• The value of deer forests/upland areas should be recognised
• Need to balance the biodiversity needs with the needs of habitats that sustain deer populations - resolve this tension - get away from always seeing deer as the enemy of biodiversity. Deer habitat should be valued in balance with other needs
• There should be some land in Scotland where deer is the primary land use
• Mountains and moorlands - SNH consultation revealed that these are the public's favourite vistas. These habitats have been positively managed for deer and grouse over many decades.
• The iconic deer should have the place where it lives recognised
• Currently the strategy appears to be negative towards fencing (P33) - this needs to be changed - make reference to the Joint Agency Fencing Policy

Approaches to the different species

• More attention is needed in the strategy to species other than Red Deer
• The Sika policy needs to address the risk that in 20 years time the Red Deer gene will be weakened through hybridisation with Sika e.g. F1 hybrids are damaging the style of Red heads (this is based on sound science), however this needs to be balanced with the demand from some paying individuals to shoot Sika
• Ensure the current loopholes in the Red Deer Refugia policy are closed
• Publish a breakdown of road traffic accidents between species

Deer Management

• Traditional stalking and grouse management sustain parts of rural Scotland
• The strategy should aim to make sport stalking more publicly acceptable - currently the document infers that sport stalking has no real role to play in deer management
• Should build on opportunities to increase income from 'sport' stalking
• Results of research on impacts of major culls on the income from stalking should be incorporated into the strategy - the risk is that major culls will result in insufficient mature stags which will have a negative impact on the economic value of these areas
• Public resources should be available for habitat assessments

Venison

• DCS should be proactive in promoting and marketing venison
• Need to build on the potential to add value to venison
• Need to address the issues with regard to venison production

Wildlife Tourism

• There are opportunities for estates to generate income through wildlife tourism but they need to ensure that the estates benefit rather than the money going elsewhere
• Build on the success of the Country Sports Tourism Group/Wild Scotland

Participation

• Greater community participation would be valuable but difficult to achieve as communities have many competing voices
• Participation needs to be a two-way process
• Participation needs to be by the appropriate individuals and at an appropriate level
• Participation could include local community involvement in Deer Management Plans
• Acknowledge existing participation
• Stakeholders is a term which can be used too widely and can lead to situations where people have a big say without having a stake
• There are tensions between perceived interests of communities and deer management
• Participation needs to be based on a pragmatic approach - i.e. it shouldn't be allowed to interfere with the function of management - communities do not take a financial risk

Joint Agency approach

• The aim of the strategy is to present a common starting point and to facilitate joint agency working
• The Scottish Government is looking at how it administers the rural sector - seize the opportunity in the strategy to demonstrate the need to ministers for properly representing deer issues
• There is a degree of nervousness within the deer sector with regard to government initiatives because of past failures

Achievements

• More credit should be give to the deer industry with regard to their achievements to date
• Strategy is not sufficiently clear on what needs to be done

Communication

• Communication with the general public is vital - difficult because of lack of time or lack of interest
• The deer sector needs help/support/guidance/resources to help to communicate with the general public
• Introducing deer management as a topic in school curriculum would increase awareness and understanding of deer issues
• The public should be aware of the specific issues with regard to Roe Deer in urban areas.
• Could develop an education policy which aims to change the culture/attitudes towards culling deer
• Public resources should be directed at educating the general public to reconnect with deer management issues
• Challenge the view that deer stalking is elitist
• Need a different term to 'sport stalking'

Public Access

• Need to resolve tensions between public access and deer stalking. There is concern that public access will become paramount - could some culling in some areas be given precedence over public access?

Balance of key themes

• The balanced approach between the environment, social well-being and economics is welcome

Deer Management

• Deer should be managed in a humane manner
• A balance needs to be established between deer on the ground and forestry
• Many DMPs have been put in place over the past few years - now would be a good time to review their progress
• Strategy should offer reassurance that deer are valued in their habitat
• Strategy should present the case for deer more strongly
• Strategy should make reference to the desired appearance of the environment in the future- e.g. wooded, open hills etc.
• Deer management should be seen in the context of how we want to use our land in the future

Climate Change

• Climate change is likely to climb higher up the political agenda
• The strategy looks at maintaining and extending tree cover as a way of locking up carbon - this could be interpreted as a desire to reduce deer habitat - sacrifice deer for carbon sequestration.

Diversification/Wildlife Watching

• The majority of economic activity from deer for estates is derived from stalking and venison
• Tourism is a very small part of income generation for estates
• There is potential for estates to increase their income from visitors
• There is a lack of awareness about the existence of promotion of deer stalking - Country Sports Tourism Group
• Estates should be more engaged with the general public
• Estates need to develop quality literature and web sites etc - government/ SRDP money could go towards this
• Long process to build income up

SRDP

• Need to seize opportunities to access funding through the SRDP
• Money could be made available for processing plants

Private investment/studies

• The economics for deer management at the moment do not stack up - they are based on private investment, should be wary about suggesting changes which might jeopardise this
• A study into the economics of deer management is needed
• It is the weight of deer which will generate money and this could be undermined if the numbers are decreased

Venison

• Government should be promoting venison as a healthy meat
• Venison is a seasonal product - supermarkets want a year round, consistent product. It is hard to produce a consistent quality product
• Should extract the price of transport from venison - will make it more appealing
• Competition between Game Dealers in Scotland is limited due to lack of numbers
• There is a public demand for venison but they can find it difficult to source
• Deer culling is not a cropping exercise (not like farming) nor culling for the best meat - as a result the product is very variable
• The real price of venison is dictated by New Zealand

Participation

• Enjoyment and participation are different
• Wider Participation in deer management could be seen as interference
• Ramblers literature should include information on deer stalking
• There is an assumption that the public want to participate more in deer management.

Joint Agency Approach

• The strategy doesn't deal with major issues connected with interagency co-operation e.g. the tensions between forests/woodlands and deer approached differently by the different agencies
• There is a feeling that there is a hidden agenda behind the strategy which is directed at taking power away from the sector

Public Perception

• Who are the general public? - needs further refining, can include broad categories like - people resident in Scotland as distinct from those living in urban England
• There is a lack of understanding amongst the general public about deer issues
• Negative press is likely to have a detrimental impact on public perception - e.g. Mar Lodge - these need to be avoided
• Inconsistent approaches towards deer - vermin and icon - these need to be resolved - different organisations need to achieve a consensus on their approach to deer

Communication

• Need to convince the general public that professionals are doing the job
• Raise awareness by participating in events which are attended by people who are not involved in hunting and shooting - avoid 'preaching to the converted'
• Programmes like Autumn Watch and Spring Watch have a big influence on public awareness
• DCS's role could be to disseminate information about the need to manage deer

Research

• Changes and objectives within the strategy should be backed up with research and studies
• Greater research needs to be done in relation to the assumption that something is wrong with welfare
• There is a tension in what the environment should and will look like in the future, and the impacts of this on climate change/tourism etc

Deer Management

• There is a need for a change in legislation for who can and cannot shoot deer - should be a level playing field so that owner occupiers have to meet the same standards
  
  
• Should be reference in the strategy as to how traffic accidents are going to be tackled

Longevity

• Strategy needs to be relevant in the future
• Need to look at trends over the next decade - likely that level of participation in decision making will increase - need to be careful not to be led by people who don't have an interest in or knowledge of deer
• This is not an appropriate time to write a new strategy
• The previous strategy should have been reviewed to identify where it has succeeded and where it has not
• It is premature to establish a new strategy on the grounds that there have been many changes about which we don't have sufficient understanding
• Need to reconcile politicians' short term vision (4 years) with the 20 year vision of the strategy - deer managers don't work to 4 year time tables. The challenge is to get politicians to look long term - the strategy could help with this

Approaches to the different species

• Sika removal not possible and management of spread is costly
• Fallow extinct species on Deeside. Although climate change may extend range?

Deer impacts

• Strategy puts emphasis on deer impacting on other land uses - strategy should focus on land issues impacting on deer and their management.

Fencing

• Should be used as a management tool particularly for natural regeneration of woodland..

Political involvement

• Decisions taken at political level - not by the people on the ground.

FCS strategy

• Network of habitats within areas allowing species to move and spread e.g. Capercaillie or deer.
  

• Increase in woodland by 25% in 20 years

• Planting species that are not appropriate for area

Wildlife Watching

• General public get a free ride from landowner, unlike Slovenia where you need to pay for every thing. Landowners benefit from public access.
• Potential to generate income through deer watching - perhaps as part of a larger wildlife watching and landscape experience.
• Bigger estates could benefit where there is scope to deliver this.- smaller estates probably not
• Potential to generate further benefits to wider community through increase in deer tourism
• Successful wildlife businesses should be promoted - adopted as a model

Venison

• Generating money is difficult because of the current venison market.
• Marketing of venison needs to be developed - should consider whether government could provide resources for this
• Export market is far greater than that of internal market.
• Public perceptions towards venison need to be changed - venison is still perceived to be the 'food of the rich'
• Need to address the issue of the quality of venison - killed and vacuum packed in 1 day?
• Game dealers are driving low price for venison to suppliers - but this has been the problem for 20 years
• The disparity between the cost to the end user and the price paid by the game dealers needs to be addressed
• The strategy should make mention of the opportunity to make venison more widely consumed -emphasis on health benefits to consumer
• Could be incentives/guidance available to help estates market venison on a local level - creating/ using farm shops to reduce chain
• Greater promotion of local processing plants to add value locally
• Promotion of venison at commonwealth games/ Olympics etc

Stalking

• High culls impacting on ability to achieve stags available for sporting clients.
• £1 million worth of stalking unsold in Scotland so scope to increase money into rural economies.
• Difficult to let more stalking as competition with other outdoor pursuits limits ability to stalk deer.
• Education of public - hill walkers through hill-phones.

Tick

• Health issues associated with Tick. Not just in hill ground but low ground too.
• Lyme disease - global warming to blame?
• Education of public - appropriate clothing to wear.
• Culling of deer is not the solution to the problem of increased tick numbers
• Sheep mops - have trampling and grazing impacts also.

Increasing public participation

• Education - on stalking and associated deer management. through leaflets and TV programmes
• Educate about potential impacts of hill walking on stalking e.g. Hill-phones - online information
• Community involvement in deer matters

Skills and Employment

• High level of skill
• Best practice guides are benefiting deer sector - both current practitioners and students.

RTAs

• Road authorities causing problem by using salt on roads.

Information

• Difficult to understand document
• Multiple choice questions difficult.