Freedom of Information Request - Licences for Mountain Hare
Date: 09 April 2025
Our ref: SIR179552/A5090568
Information Request – Licences for Mountain Hare
Your Request
'1. How many licenses to kill mountain hares have been granted and denied each year since the licensing scheme was created?
2. How many mountain hares have been killed under these licences each year?
3. How many mountain hare licensed activities were monitored by NatureScot each year?
4. Which organisations were granted licenses to kill mountain hares in each year since the licensing scheme was created?'
Our Response
We have discussed your request with our Licensing Team and have provided information on each part of your request.
1. How many licenses to kill mountain hares have been granted and denied each year since the licensing scheme was created?
Mountain Hares were put on to Schedule 5 of the WCA in 2021, which we have assumed is what you mean by ‘since licensing scheme was created’, however NatureScot have only been issuing licences (with open/closed seasons) since 2012 so we have included all of the data from that period and split the information into before and after the Sch5 change back in 2021 and up until the date of your request.
Licences issued/refused by year (up until Mountain Hare were put onto Sch5):
2012: 2 issued
2013: 3 issued
2014: 7 issued
2015: 5 issued
2016: 7 issued
2017: 7 issued
2018: 11 issued
2019: 9 issued
2020: 7 issued
Licences issued/refused by year (after Mountain Hare were put onto Sch5):
2021: 40 issued
2022: 21 issued
2023: 28 issued 2 refused
2024: 20 issued 2 refused
2025: 7 issued 1 refused
2. How many mountain hares have been killed under these licences each year?
Some of the licenses cover multiple years or were for one-year timewise but were over two different year dates, the Licensing team have compiled them into how many were killed for licenses ending in particular years.
We have also included the number of licenses, per year, that did not provide their licence return data to us, which means that we do not hold the number killed under those licenses.
Licenses ending in 2025, have not all expired at the time we received your request, and of those that have expired, not all the returns have been submitted, so this number will change as more licences expire and more returns are received.
MH killed under licence by year (up until Mountain Hare were put onto Sch5):
Licenses ending 2012: 0
Licenses ending 2013: 0 (2 returns not submitted)
Licenses ending 2014: 583
Licenses ending 2015: 567 (1 return not submitted)
Licenses ending 2016: 649
Licenses ending 2017: 689
Licenses ending 2018: 731
Licenses ending 2019: 765
Licenses ending 2020: 572
MH killed under licence by year (after Mountain Hare were put onto Sch5):
Licenses ending 2021: 710 (7 returns not submitted)
Licenses ending 2022: 558 (2 returns not submitted)
Licenses ending 2023: 1408
Licenses ending 2024: 1344 (3 returns not submitted)
Licenses ending 2025: 804 so far
3. How many mountain hare licensed activities were monitored by NatureScot each year?
We have not carried out any in-person monitoring of licensed activities due to conflicting priorities, availability of the licensing team, and due to the nature of the licence type (i.e. the applicant does not need to notify us when the activity takes place).
We have done a 100% desktop compliance on all licences (i.e. returns checking and chasing). When an application is submitted for a new site, there may be a site visit carried out by a wildlife management officer to collect additional information. These visits occur before a licence is issued and before any licensed activity could be carried out.
4. Which organisations were granted licenses to kill mountain hares in each year since the licensing scheme was created?
We issue licenses to individuals rather than to organisations, so this information is not something NatureScot holds.
We would also not be able to supply individual licence holder details as releasing this information would breach the Data Protection Act 2018.
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
