Seòmar agus comataidhean

The deer management roundtable members include: Lantra Scotland, Mountaineering Scotland, the British Deer Society, the Confederation of Forest Industries, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trees for Life, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, the Scottish Association for Country Sports, the Scottish Crofting Federation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Woodland Trust Scotland, Lowland deer groups, Transport Scotland, Forestry and Land Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Police Scotland, Food Standards Scotland, Country Sport Scotland, NatureScot, the National Trust for Scotland, various departments within the Scottish Government including the veterinary adviser, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Venison Association, Scottish Land & Estates, the John Muir Trust, the Association of Deer Management Groups, the Scottish Countryside Alliance, Scottish Environment LINK, NFU Scotland, SSPCA, wild deer best practice guides, the Veterinary Deer Society, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Community Land Scotland, Scottish Forestry, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority, the James Hutton Institute, the Forest Policy Group and the Ramblers.

As we have said already, stalking at night can be done only under authorisation, and people doing that stalking have to pass the fit and competent test. We have not specified the types of scopes that can be used, because technology is always evolving, and there are many scopes on the market. The specific authorisation for night shooting is the mechanism for ensuring that people who are doing it are fully qualified to do so. Of course, as with all these matters, it is up to the operator—the person who is pulling the trigger—to correctly identify the target animal, identify potential risks and ensure a safe backstop. That remains true whatever equipment anyone is using at any time.

It is not a general authorisation because it is specific: it specifies a location, a time period, who will be doing the work and the outcomes. I do not have in front of me the detailed paperwork as to what that authorisation requires, but it is a detailed and specific authorisation for a particular night-shooting project—

That is a fair assessment for certain parts of Scotland. I know that some—in fact, many—land managers manage their deer very well, whether they are managing for regeneration or for specific interests.

Overall, though, the member is correct. With deer numbers doubling, the numbers are unsustainable and will not allow us to reach our biodiversity, nature restoration or carbon sequestration goals. Even commercial interests in forestry and crops are being damaged by deer, and we have already heard the numbers with regard to road traffic accidents and so on. An overabundance of deer is certainly causing issues.

That would certainly be the case in many places. Of course, many deer managers do manage for the health of the animals, and that requires culling the weak animals as appropriate to ensure that the herd is healthy.

The legislation that we are discussing just now will give land managers another option. It is an option that they already have, but they will now have it without the additional paperwork—that is the big change.

I am happy to cover that matter. As I have already stated, 17 per cent of deer are already shot at night. Night licences for shooting can be issued only under NatureScot authorisation, and they come with clear conditions attached. The code of practice that comes with them explicitly says, for example, that anyone shooting deer at night must be accompanied by an appropriate dog, so that a wounded deer can be tracked and dispatched humanely. NatureScot can revoke any authorisation at any time, and it will issue the authorisation only under specific conditions. It can come to inspect the site to ensure that it is safe, which relates to the public safety concerns that you raise. At any time during the authorisation period, NatureScot can ask to come along on the shoot to observe that the rules are being followed. None of that is changed by the SSI; those authorisations and safety conditions are going to be monitored in exactly the same way.

That is a good question. I ask Jackie Hughes to say whether that is a characteristic of Asulam.

No, that—

They apply to the Health and Safety Executive.

I have just the evidence that is in front of us, which is that Scottish Water regularly detects residues of Asulam in water supplies. As the result of one ground-spraying incident, the levels exceeded drinking water standard limits. Asulam is getting into the water table.

That relates only to Scottish Water’s responsibility, which is the public water supply. In the uplands where spraying is happening, there are many private water supplies that are not tested, so we do not know whether they are being contaminated.