We’re delighted that the Scottish Government has passed an important bill that includes provisions to licence grouse shooting and regulate the use of traps and muirburn – for which the RSPB has long campaigned.
The Bill received Royal Assent on 30 April, which means that any estate managed for grouse shooting that kills protected raptors or commits a range of other wildlife crimes could now lose their shooting rights.
The RSPB believes that this will provide a meaningful deterrent to those who continue to break the law and poison, shoot or trap Scotland’s birds of prey, or destroy their nests.
Licences and training will also be required for the use of traps, while the use of snares will be banned.
Any estate managed for grouse shooting that kills protected raptors or commits a range of other wildlife crimes could now lose their shooting rights
Inspectors at the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will have increased powers to investigate wildlife crimes, and practitioners of muirburn – fire deliberately used as a vegetation management tool – will require a licence and accredited training.
The spring end of the muirburn season has also been brought forward to protect breeding moorland species.
“We now look forward to continuing to help with the development of the statutory codes of practice for grouse shooting and muirburn, to contributing to the ongoing review of species licensing being undertaken by NatureScot and to assisting the statutory agencies in ensuring that any landholdings who persist in killing protected species face the full range of newly available penalties,” said Anne McCall, Director at RSPB Scotland.
