Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
The Bill aims to change:
- rules around how people can capture and kill certain wild birds and wild animals
- rules around the making of muirburn (the controlled burning of heather and other plants for land management purposes)
The Bill ended Stage 3 on 21 March 2024
Contents
Stage 1 - General principles
Committees examine the Bill and gather views. They produce reports before MSPs debate the Bill in the Chamber. MSPs then decide on the purpose (“general principles”) of the Bill.
The Bill ended Stage 1 on 30 November 2023
Committee Examination
The lead committee for this Bill is the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
Submit your views
As part of its scrutiny of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, the Committee ran a call for views between 31 March and 5 May 2023.
The Committee received 5,696 submissions in total, 100 from organisations and 5,596 from individuals.
Due to the significant number of individual responses, the Committee has produced two documents—
Read the summary of all responses, produced by SPICe and the Participation and Communities Team (PACT) (4MB, pdf) posted 25 May 2023
Read all the responses submitted by organisations (4MB, pdf) posted 25 May 2023
Timetable
Timetable for Rural Affairs and Islands Committee consideration of the Bill at Stage 1
Stage 1 Deadline
On 19 April 2023, Parliament agreed motion S6M-08622, that consideration of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 be completed by 6 October 2023.
On 27 September 2023, Parliament agreed motion S6M-10624, that consideration of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill at stage 1 be extended to 1 December 2023.
Timetable for Rural Affairs and Islands Committee consideration of the Bill at Stage 1—
31 May 2023
- Evidence from the Scottish Government Bill Team
14 June 2023
- Evidence from members of the Grouse Moor Management Review (Werritty) Group
- Evidence on sections 1-3 (glue traps); sections 4-5 (wildlife traps); and section 8 (SSPCA powers)
21 June 2023
- Evidence on sections 6-7 (grouse moor licensing)
- Evidence on sections 9-19 (muirburn licensing)
28 June 2023
- Evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands
6 September 2023
- Consideration of draft report (in private)
13 September 2023
- Consideration and agreement of draft report (in private)
Who spoke to the lead committee in the Parliament
MSPs met with people in committee meetings to discuss what the Bill will do.
Minutes of 29 March 2023 (in private)
Minutes of 31 May 2023
Minutes of 14 June 2023
Minutes of 21 June 2023
Minutes of 28 June 2023
Minutes of 13 September 2023 (in private)
Minutes of 20 September 2023 (in private)
Minutes of 4 October 2023 (in private)
Minutes of 25 October 2023 (in private)
Minutes of 1 November 2023
Minutes of 8 November 2023
Minutes of 15 November 2023 (in private)
Meeting on 31 May 2023
Correspondence
Committee correspondence sent and received while the Bill progressed through Parliament
Letter from the Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, 19 January 2024
Letter from the Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, 19 January 2024
Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill - Scottish Government response to Stage 1 report
Letter from the Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, 29 November 2023
Work by other committees
Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee
Meeting on 2 May 2023
Meeting on 13 June 2023
Report published on 15 June 2023
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Committee report
The lead committee published its Stage 1 Report on 20 November 2023.
Stage 1 Report on the Wildlife and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
The lead committee received the following response to its Stage 1 Report on 29 November 2023.
Debate
MSPs debate the purpose (“general principles”) of the Bill.
Meeting on 30 November 2023
Read the minutes of proceedings (177KB, pdf) posted 30 November 2023
Vote
MSPs vote on the general principles of the Bill.
Meeting on 30 November 2023
Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill: Financial Resolution
- Submitted by: Gillian Martin, Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party.
- Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
- Motion reference: S6M-11498
- Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, 30 November 2023
Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
- Submitted by: Gillian Martin, Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party.
- Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
- Motion reference: S6M-11496
- Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, 30 November 2023
Result 82 for, 32 against, 0 abstained, 15 did not vote Vote Passed