Gamekeepers left ‘sickened’ by cull
GAMEKEEPERS say they are sickened by a Scottish Government agency’s decision to sanction a second “unjustified” taxpayer-funded cull of deer.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said it was considering withdrawing from the nation’s codes for deer control which it helped develop because of the plans for a continued cull in the nation’s forests.
It comes after it emerged that Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) carried out a cull of almost 1,300 deer in a month, including hundreds of juveniles. The SGA has questioned why some kills last year were conducted at night, a practice banned in some European countries.
The agency said the cull of even more female deer next month was an effort to control numbers and protect trees.
The forestry agency has the power to order culls to protect trees, but has come under fire over plans for a further cull after the September killings. Young calves unable to fend for themselves without their mother are put down.
The agency said deer numbers across Scotland had doubled to almost a million from 500,000 in 1990. But the SGA has questioned this, saying the open hill deer population has been either stable or decreasing for some time.
Gamekeepers dispute that large swathes of juvenile forestry are under threat and pointed to 2019 data showing about 54,000 acres of public forest was less than 20 years old.
The SGA say that it has considered the FLS moves a ‘first resort’ action rather than the last resort condition demanded by the out-of-season licence granted to them by Naturescot.
It warned that at this time of year, weeks before the season legally opens, calves which are missed before their mothers are shot will slowly starve as they rely on the mum for survival.
Documents show that 730 adult females and 556 juveniles under a year old were culled in September, compared with 170 adults and 126 juveniles over the same month in 2019.
The cull last year prompted a 5,000strong public petition to the Scottish government, demanding it be halted.
After scrutinising FLS data on the age profile of Scotland’s forests, the SGA claims only a small fraction would have been susceptible to damage by females in September. “We are proud of our five years of work in developing best practice in Scotland. These guidelines need to evolve and we appreciate that,” said Alex Hogg chairman of the SGA.
“But our members are questioning why our name should be on future codes when the direction of travel, within public bodies, appears to be to kill deer, day or night, in-season or not.”
The SGA says that the Governmentcommissioned Deer Working Group report, due to be implemented, will rid Scotland of protections which professionals fought hard for, such as closed seasons which give an iconic species respite to rear their young.
“If bureaucrats can scrap seasons and public departments can get sign-off on carte blanche authorisations, why bother having a code for humane deer management at all?” the SGA said.
“This is what we now need to consider, with our membership.”
In response, Forestry and Land Scotland said the cull was necessary to tackle millions of pounds worth of damage to forestry and woodland caused by grazing deer.
It said woodlands being regenerated as a “response to the climate emergency” were at risk, with up to 150 million young trees vulnerable to damage.
Four species of deer are found in Scotland – red and roe deer, which are both native species, and fallow and sika.
The deer shooting season for hinds – female deer – runs from late October to February.
FLS said culling out-of-season in September was widely practised by land managers and was licensed by Naturescot.
Ian Fergusson, head of wildlife management at FLS, said: “The current high levels of deer numbers pose a particular threat to establishing young trees and areas of forest regeneration which are a vital part of Scotland’s response to the climate emergency.
“It can also be ruinous to biodiversity projects and also poses a threat to the overall health of the herd, which in winter could struggle to find enough food and may result in many animals suffering a slow death from starvation.”
Scottish animal welfare charity Onekind said there were risks associated with shooting female deer during the close season and called for the development of an “ethical strategy” that would allow wild animals to thrive in Scotland.
Why bother having a code for humane deer management at all?