Freedom of Information Request - Duck Shooting
Date: 18 March 2025
Our ref: SIR179121/A5043245
Information Request – Duck Shooting
Your Request
Please provide all correspondence and communications since 1 July 2023 relating to Scotland's shooting industry and ducks - ie duck shooting.
I define “correspondence and communications” as including (but not limited to) the following:
- Emails (and their attachments)
- Letters
- Memos
- Briefings
- Research documents
- Notes taken during telephone conversations
- Minutes taken during meetings/invitations
Our Response
Following a search of the information we hold our response is attached separately.
To note, the statutory suspension of wildfowling under the severe weather protocol follows a set procedure which can be found on the JNCC website. There is also information about any response to an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds in Scotland on the Scottish Government website.
We have withheld some correspondence and communications relating to Scotland's duck shooting industry as it forms a key part of our consultation report on the review of Schedule 2 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which is for Scottish Government to consider initially as part of policy development. As such this is withheld under EIRS Regulation 10(4)(e) - Internal Communications. We expect that the report of the review will be made publicly available when it has been written and finalised.
We have also withheld some draft guidance on foraging, which includes a small section on wildfowl shooting, as the guidance is still under development. We are therefore withholding this under EIR exemption Regulation 12(4)(d) - Material in the course of completion, unfinished documents, and incomplete data (Environmental Information Regulations). We expect to publish
by the end of the summer 2025. The guidance section on wildfowl shooting reflects the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC)’s Wildfowling code of practice, which provides guidelines on what is acceptable conduct and describes the general areas of the law relating to wildfowling.
We have not provided any correspondence relating duck shooting at specific locations as we felt this fell outwith the scope of your request.
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
Document downloads
Due to accessibility issues the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
