Deer Management Incentive Scheme Pilots - Frequently Asked Questions

The areas have been chosen because they represent different challenges for deer management. The central Scotland area reflects a number of the challenges faced in the lowlands and central belt: a mix of land management (agricultural, suburban, forestry), multiple and fragmented land ownership, and a mix of contractor, syndicate and recreational stalking. Meanwhile south Loch Ness has high densities of invasive non-native sika deer in native woodland, agricultural land and commercial forestry.

NatureScot takes public safety and animal welfare very seriously. Strict eligibility criteria will be in place for these schemes. For both pilot areas, deer stalkers must have the legal right to take or kill deer on the specified land and must be qualified with a minimum of Deer Stalking Certificate 1 or equivalent. Individual stalkers who have gained deer stalking qualifications have been assessed on their knowledge of deer welfare, public safety and food safety associated with deer stalking. 

Participants will also need to be on NatureScot’s Fit and Competent Register if they wish to apply for night shooting or out-of-season authorisations. 

For both pilot areas, public land will be excluded. 

Payment will be made on a staged basis between October 2024 and mid-March 2025 to the individual registered to be a part of the scheme. 

To ensure that culling is additional to the levels currently culled in the pilot scheme area, payment will only be available for the number of deer culled above a minimum culling rate. In the central belt scheme, this minimum culling rate has been set at four deer per 100ha on each participating property. Payment will only be available for culls which are additional to the minimum culling rate. In South Loch Ness, this will be five deer per 100ha on each participating property. It is anticipated due to the nature of the terrain and size of some the properties in the Loch Ness area that there may need to be some variation between properties, and this will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Payment will be £70 for each additional adult female deer over the age of one year and £35 for juveniles of either sex.

The payments are broadly based on the national average cost to deer managers to cull a deer and where they could also derive some income from carcass sales. In the lowlands this will include roe and red deer and while in Loch Ness it will include only sika. 

For Central Scotland this is based on previous work carried out in the pilot area, as well as information from annual cull returns which put the current cull rates at three to 19 deer per 100ha. A cull rate of above four deer (females & juveniles) /100ha is based on what should be achievable on top of the status quo and that will result in increased deer culls with wider benefits to public interests. 

For the South Loch Ness area this was based on currently reported cull levels as well as Forestry and Land Scotland data. Again, the pilot cull rate, five deer (females & juveniles) / 100 Ha seeks a balance as to what should be achievable in addition to the status quo and at a level that should deliver increased deer culls with wider benefits to public interests. The variation in topography, size of land holdings and habitat is greater than in the lowlands and so some variation in the minimum culling rate is inevitable to ensure the pilots are pragmatic and practical.

Due to nature of the landscape, robust data on deer populations are not known but sampling using thermal imaging cameras and drones by NatureScot over parcels of the lowland area has shown indicative densities of up to <40 roe/km² and <20 red deer / km². Roe deer are likely to be present across all of the pilot area whilst red deer populations are more localised to the Campsie Hills and the Carse of Stirling.

Robust data on the sika populations on south Loch Ness is not available as there has not been a program of counting sika, as there has been for red deer, and woodland cover makes direct census challenging. However, we know that sika are prevalent in this area through the number of sika culled, reported agricultural damage and the increasing number of applications to NatureScot for authorisation for culling out of season and at night to prevent damage to agriculture and woodland.

For each scheme, a total of £95,000 is available for the 2024/'25 female season. This could equate to somewhere in the region of 1,000-1,200 adult females and 300-700 juveniles.  Adult females (and their dependents) are the focus of this pilot as there is broad consensus that to reduce deer populations, it is necessary primarily to cull female deer, as this will have the greatest effect on population control.

The aim in the lowland pilot is not to eradicate deer in the area but to achieve more sustainable numbers, bringing populations more in balance with the rest of nature and reducing damage to biodiversity, agriculture and forestry. 

Sika deer are an invasive non-native species, and the 2020 Deer Working Group report identified the need for a more robust approach to minimising their spread. The aim with this species is to reduce the population significantly to protect habitats and forestry and to prevent the species from expanding and becoming established in new areas.

The number of deer culled will be monitored via the Deer App by NatureScot Wildlife Management Officers throughout the period of the scheme. Monitoring of cull returns will also ensure that we do not exceed our budget and ensure deer controllers are paid for the deer they cull.

The key welfare consideration in wildlife management is avoiding the suffering of any animal. There is broad consensus that to reduce deer populations, it is necessary primarily to cull female deer, as this will have the greatest effect on population control. The primary welfare issue is if females are shot at a time and in a manner when dependent young are subsequently orphaned. It is for this reason that there is a closed season for the killing of adult female deer. 

The close season for females is primarily aimed at capturing the period of highest welfare concern, which is when juveniles are physically dependent on their mothers for milk. Juveniles, once they are weaned, are physically capable of surviving if orphaned. Deer are however social animals and thus juveniles are likely to show a depressed welfare state if orphaned after weaning. It is therefore best practice that if a female deer is shot, all dependent juveniles should also be culled rather than orphaned, and it is a condition of the schemes that all participants must always comply with best practice.

Carcass disposal is at the discretion of the participant, but we expect that the majority will enter the food chain. Participants will be required to record how they have disposed of the carcass, including whether it was sold, given away or processed for their own consumption. This will help NatureScot in its ongoing work to increase capacity in local supply chains for venison, a nutritious and sustainable food.

All participants must use the new NatureScot Deer App to report all deer culled, including geo-referencing the location and submitting photographic evidence. Compliance monitoring will be carried out by NatureScot and will include reviewing reported culls, species, weight and geo-referenced location. NatureScot staff may also request spot checks and DNA testing. 

Any breaches will result in the individual being removed from the scheme and payment withheld. Any reports of fraudulent activity will be reported to Police Scotland, with potential repercussions for an individual’s suitability to hold a valid firearms certificate.

Yes. Deer management and the jobs and skills associated with it can bring significant benefits for the rural economy and where it is identified that that the lack of formal qualifications may be a barrier to scheme participation, NatureScot will consider supporting skills development.

An additional aim of the pilots is to gain a better understanding of the barriers and opportunities to increasing the supply of venison to local communities. Participants must provide information on how carcasses were disposed of, which will help NatureScot in its ongoing work to increase capacity in local supply chains for venison, a nutritious and sustainable food.

Subject to further government funding, a separate project is underway to look at the need for, and opportunities to support investment in larder infrastructure, ranging from new larger scale chill / processing units, through to simple mobile / semi mobile chill units to upgrades to existing larder infrastructure. This project is not solely restricted to the pilot areas and will also explore opportunities linked to other national priority areas in the Scottish Lowlands and west coast rain forest areas.

We consulted with practitioners and the wider deer management sector on our proposed approach in summer 2024. Feedback from the sector helped us to finalise the details of the schemes.

We recognise that deer stalkers are doing a huge amount to deliver culls across Scotland, and great progress has been made in many areas as a result of these efforts. The purpose of these pilots is to trial incentives in two specific areas that are representative of the wider challenges faced by the sector. This will allow an assessment of what effect this approach has on increasing culls in two very different parts of the country and in relation to different species. The lessons learned from these pilot schemes will help us determine the most effective strategy for any future or wider incentive schemes.

Scotland has a long-standing tradition of voluntary and collaborative deer management. We want to work with local communities, land managers and partners across Scotland to build stronger and more effective collaboration to achieve our goal of a greener future. We face a big challenge in the need to cull significantly more deer annually to reach net zero targets and we know that 80% of deer management is carried out by the private sector at a net cost to deer managers. These innovative pilot schemes will give extra support to those working hard on the ground to tackle high deer numbers in certain areas and help meet these targets. 

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to reintroduce lynx, wolves or any other large carnivore species into Scotland. Humane culling by trained professionals following best practice is therefore the key tool to ensure sustainable deer management in Scotland.