General licence - GL16/2026 – Sale, advertisement, possession & transportation of mountain hare & mountain hare meat by controllers, caterers and retailers
General Licences allow authorised people to carry out activities that would otherwise be illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).
Statement of reasons for General Licence 16/2026
Terms and conditions
IIf you operate under this General Licence 16/2026 you must meet the following terms and conditions otherwise your actions may constitute an offence which could lead to prosecution.
What can this General Licence be used for?
This Licence can be used for the following activities:
Sell, advertise, possess and transport whole carcasses, meat or other products derived from mountain hare killed legally.
Who is authorised to use this General Licence?
Any person provided the mountain hare has been legally killed.
When and where is this General Licence valid?
Across Scotland from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026. Valid only for mountain hare killed legally. To note that any mountain hares killed after 1st March 2021 in Scotland require a separate licence.
What restrictions apply to the use of this General Licence?
This General Licence cannot be used by those convicted of a wildlife crime until that conviction is considered spent in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (as amended), they have received an admonishment or a court discharged them absolutely.
Food Hygiene legislation must be complied with when supplying mountain hare for human consumption.
Any person not able to use the General Licence should contact [email protected]
What other information must authorised persons know before considering use of this General Licence?
An authorised person must:
Understand this General Licence and comply with its terms and conditions;
Use it only for the purpose(s) specified.
What are the record keeping and reporting requirements for people using this General Licence?
An authorised person must keep records to comply with food hygiene regulations.
There is no requirement to report to NatureScot under this Licence.
Definitions
For the purposes of this General Licence:
- “mountain hare” means the species Lepus timidus.
- “wildlife crime” means any offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, Agriculture (Scotland) Act 1948, the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 and the Wildlife management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 (all as amended).
- ‘Food hygiene regulations’ The Food Hygiene (Scotland) regulations 2006. For further information see the Wild Game guidance.
- “NatureScot” means Scottish Natural Heritage acting under its operating name NatureScot.
Disclaimer: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has changed its name to NatureScot as of the 24th August 2020.
At the time of publishing, this document may still refer to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and include the original branding. It may also contain broken links to the old domain.
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Contacts
If you already have a licence number, include it in the subject line of your email, or have it to hand when you call.
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