The Newsletter of The Association of Deer Management Groups Spring/Summer 2012 Volume 3/Issue 25 Some DMGs have chosen to set up their sub-areas as new Restructuring Deer independent DMGs while others continue to retain an Management Groups umbrella Group. Either approach is valid and the guiding principle should be that a Group or sub-group should Richard Cooke, Chairman, ADMG continue to operate at deer population scale. However it is also important to maintain effective communications In the process of writing or updating with neighbouring areas. That can be done either by an deer management plans some Deer annual joint meeting, or by delegating a Group member to Management Groups (DMGs) have been attend neighbouring DMG meetings. reviewing their extent and membership. There is no doubt that as deer management While the restructuring of DMGs can increase the becomes more complex to reflect an increasing range effectiveness of collaborative deer management and of objectives, a more local focus is appropriate. Many meet the requirements of the newly minted Code of Groups were formed, as far back as the 1960s and 1970s Deer Management, there may be Groups that have in some cases, solely to protect stalking interests. Their considered subdividing to avoid difficult internal issues; extent often followed the count areas identified by the Red perhaps because some members failed to co-operate with Deer Commission to cover the range of a particular deer neighbours or to participate fully in the Group. This is not population. Management at that big scale is still important sensible and such problems will not go away as a result but detailed management decision-making has been of redrawing boundaries. The challenge is to win over all devolved increasingly to sub-area level at which counting, land managers to the necessity of collaborating. It is really cull target fixing and management planning now occur in all about being a good neighbour, which is just common many cases. sense. In this issue: Page 2: Robbie Kernahan, SNH, looks at changes Page 11: An update on the state of play of the to authorisations to shoot deer in the venison market and new steps being close season and at night. taken in Scotland to meet a continuing increase in demand. Page 3: John Bruce, BDS, highlights steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of CWD Page 12: Capturing the spirit of the Scottish coming into Britain and Europe from sporting estate – Dick Playfair reviews North America. landscape and sporting photographer Glyn Satterley’s new book. Page 4 and 5: A summary of the key points from the ADMG AGM plus new subscription rates Bringing in the ponies, Reay Forest, Sutherland. effective from 1 July 2012. Photo: Glyn Satterley Pages 6 and 7: Iain Thornber writes about the inspiration behind John Buchan’s John Macnab and the wager of a young Lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders to kill a stag undetected. Page 8: Snapshot of the Mid West Association of Highland Estates Deer Management Group. Page 9: Colin McClean provides an update on competence and where the ‘bar’ has been set. Page 10: Richard Cooke makes a thorough argument against reintroduction of the lynx as proposed by naturalist Chris Packham in the Sunday Times. ADMG welcomes contributed articles for its Newsletters, both printed and online. Consequently, views expressed may not always be those of ADMG. The general authorisation provisions will be subject to Changes to the provisions to regular review, but we are keen to ensure all possible steps should be taken to ensure that there is an effective shoot deer in the close season dialogue between controllers, neighbours and the deer and at night under the Wildlife management group. It remains the case that anyone operating under an authorisation, general or specific, and Natural Environment should be able to demonstrate that no other reasonable (Scotland) Act 2011 means of control would be adequate. The proposed culling of any female deer during the Robbie Kernahan, period of 1 April to 31 August will require a specific Head of Wildlife Operations, SNH authorisation for the property to be issued by SNH and we will assess these on a case by case basis. This will include The Wildlife and Natural Environment Act conducting site visits and ensuring appropriate mitigation has resulted in a number of significant of welfare issues. changes to the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 and one of the most important of these Night shooting relates to close seasons and occupiers’ rights. From the 1 April 2012 any deer culled out of season may only be Night shooting for public safety may now be authorised culled under authorisation from SNH. by SNH. This relates to the culling of deer to reduce or prevent impacts by deer on public safety and, as with The right for the occupier to cull deer to prevent damage other authorisations, SNH will require information in season in enclosed woodland and on improved supporting the need for such an authorisation. This is not agricultural land remains, but the exemption to cull deer a measure to allow shooting of deer at night where it is out of season has been removed. deemed unsafe to do so during daylight hours. SNH can now issue authorisations that can be general or All authorisations issued by SNH include a series of specific in nature and as such, and in order for occupiers conditions that must be complied with and failure to do so to prevent damage to their interests, we have issued a may lead to withdrawal of the authorisation. general authorisation which covers the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013. This will not however allow the Richard Cooke, Chairman, ADMG, comments: culling of female deer of any species from 1 April to 31 August. “While we would have preferred all out of season culling to require an authorisation we accept that this If authorised in writing by the occupier then the owner, would have created a major administrative burden for owner’s employees, the occupier’s employees or any other SNH; also that there are no welfare issues at individual person normally resident on the land can also carry out animal level in respect of culling stags out of season, control under this general authorisation, without the need or young deer after weaning, but that it is important to be on the SNH Fit and Competent register. Anyone who to provide protection for adult females to ensure the does not fall into the classes of person above must be on welfare of dependent young. the SNH Fit and Competent register. “It should be noted that this is an interim arrangement The general authorisation is available to download from and subject to review at the end of the first year and we the SNH website, with paper copies available from SNH welcome that. We have concern that, at a time when on request. Those operating under a general authorisation the sector is being encouraged to embrace fitness and must have read and understood the terms and carry out competence, and being judged on the level of uptake, any control in accordance with the specific conditions. this is not a condition of the General Licence. We do Returns of deer culled under the general authorisation will however acknowledge that, owing to the terms of the be sought from annual cull returns and in time we hope legislation, it is not within the power of SNH to provide through agricultural census forms. for this.” Photo: Glyn Satterley 2 Government legislation in the UK forbids the feeding of Threat of CWD must be animal derived protein to ruminants and this includes all taken seriously mammalian meat and bone meal, meat meal, bone meal, hoof meal, horn meal, greaves, poultry meal, poultry offal John Bruce, a Director of The British meal, feather meal plus gelatine from ruminants. Deer Society in Scotland, was inspired by Further information on this legislation can be found at: Mark Dagliesh of The Moredun Institute, http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/ Penicuik, who is a TSE specialist atoz/bse/controls-eradication/feed-ban.htm and deer enthusiast; they jointly want to This brain tissue make people more aware of the severe show the holes threat that CWD is to deer of all species in associated with Europe. chronic wasting disease. Chronic wasting disease, or CWD as it is commonly called, is the most infectious disease of its kind having devastating effects on many populations of wild and How can you help prevent entry of farmed deer including red deer. Once a deer develops this devastating disease to Europe? clinical signs of CWD it always results in the death of the animal and there are no treatments or vaccines available CWD is highly infectious and the infectious agent is to control the disease. highly resistant to both weather conditions and normal disinfectants. The prion is indestructible and will remain At present, CWD is only found in North America and it an active risk for hundreds of years. It is spread through is not known where the disease originally came from. body fluids, urine, dung and fluid particles in breath. However, despite extensive and expensive efforts to Additionally it has been shown to stick to soil particles control the spread of CWD over the last 10 years it is now very efficiently. The only way to inactivate the infectious beyond control and has been diagnosed in many states of agent of CWD is to soak articles in a solution of bleach the US and two Canadian provinces. that has 20,000 parts per million of active chlorine for one hour or, alternatively, 2 molar sodium hydroxide.