Gamekeepers left voiceless amid Holyrood Wildlife Bill
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association have concerns regarding the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill which was passed in Parliament last week.
The Bill, which was passed in Parliament on Thursday March 21 by 85 votes to 30, introduces new powers for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, tougher restrictions on the use of inhumane wildlife traps, a full ban on snares, and restrictions on muirburn to address the climate emergency.
Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Green party’s rural affairs spokesperson, said: “This is a momentous step forward for our landscapes and nature and in bringing Scotland’s wildlife management into the 21st century.
“For far too long, shameful wildlife crimes have gone unpunished because of the difficulties faced by the police to gather evidence to secure prosecutions.
“This Bill will help to address that and ensure that perpetrators think again. It will help us to curb wildlife crime and cruel blood sports by introducing much-needed licensing schemes and the powers to enforce them.”
Despite the positivity surrounding the passing of the Bill, there remains concerns amongst some factions of the Scottish rural community.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) has concerns that the tough restrictions on snares and traps will have a significant impact on the work that gamekeepers can do to protect wildlife.
A spokesperson for the SGA said: “We advocated an alternative to what the government did. We suggested that the government should phase existing snares out and introduce humane holding devices or humane cable restraints. These have been tested by DEFRA on the older models, however, the government rejected that move and decided to ban snares and humane holding restraints.
“That was very disappointing because we feel that they did not give adequate consideration to our suggestions.
“We felt our proposal provided the best balance of introducing something which was better for animal welfare but still allowed land managers to do what is a really important job in managing predators for ground-nesting birds and to protect farm livestock as well.”
As one of the stakeholders involved in the development of the Code of Practice, which sits alongside the licensing provision and in being involved in the development of the new muirburn code, the SGA will have a say in the development in the Bill as a package.
They hope to reach an appropriate compromise that ensures that gamekeepers can manage their land effectively whilst protecting the welfare of animals.
The SGA’s concerns come at a time where there are also concerns around the lack of clarity being given to Scotland’s agricultural sector on the impact of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
The Bill aims to deliver the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture which outlines how the Scottish Government will transform support for farming and food production to ensure that Scotland is a global leader in sustainable agriculture.
On Tuesday, Scottish Land & Estates said that the expectations of farmers and land managers need to be more clearly communicated by the Scottish Government.
Ahead of the Stage 1 Debate on the Bill, Scottish Land & Estates’ senior policy adviser on agriculture, Eleanor Kay, said: “With the Agriculture Bill being brought before MSPs, it is astonishing that so few key questions around the expectations this Bill will place on Scotland’s farmers and land managers remain unanswered.
“The impression this gives is that farmers and stakeholders are being left out of the loop, whilst the Scottish Government continues to make policy in silos.
“Scotland farmers and land managers are here to help. They want to engage with the process and help to deliver on the Scottish Government’s targets – but they cannot do that without a clear commitment from ministers to co-design policies with them, such as the code of practice and support plans that are outlined within the Bill.”
