Freedom of Information Request: Licences issued for the control of moutain hares

Date: 12 June 2024 

Our ref: SIR175568/A4602261

Information Request – licenses issued for the control of mountain hares

Thank you for your information request, which we received on 20 May 2024. We have considered your request under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’).

Your Request

Please advise how many licenses have been issued for the control of mountain hares, I would like to know what geographical area these licenses have been issued for, how many hares were allowed to be taken and for what purpose. If the licence was granted to protect trees were these trees in a fenced or unfenced block and were the tree's saplings or a mature forestry block.

Our Response

As the request did not indicate a timeframe, the figures in the table below cover the last two winter seasons/years – from 1st Aug 2022 to 21st April 2024.

Your QuestionOur Response
How many licenses have been issued for the control of mountain hare45
What geographical area these licenses have been issued for
  • Moray – 1
  • Perth & Kinross – 3 
  • Aberdeenshire – 12
  • Highland - 29
How many hares were allowed to be taken
  • Moray – 30
  • Perth & Kinross – 320 
  • Aberdeenshire – 739
  • Highland – 2716
For what purpose
  • Moray – Preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, property or fisheries - 1
  • Perth & Kinross –Preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, property or fisheries - 3
  • Aberdeenshire – Preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, property or fisheries – 9 / Social, economic or environmental purposes - 3
  • Highland – Conserving any area of natural habitat – 6 / Preventing serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, property or fisheries - 22 / Conserving wild birds, wild animals or wild plants or introducing them to particular areas - 1
If the licence was granted to protect trees44 licences were issued for protection of trees 1 licence was issued for protection of other plants / conservation of fauna & Flora
Fenced or unfenced block
  • Unfenced – 3
  • Deer & rabbit fenced – 50 
  • Deer fenced - 1
Were the tree's saplings or a mature forestry blockWe do not issue licences for mature forestry we only issue licences for new planting, restocking, beat up, regeneration and/or up to the end of the 3rd year of sapling life.

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

Online appeal service

FOI Website 

Telephone: 01334 464610

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer, 
NatureScot [email protected]