Question reference: S6W-09830
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 19 July 2022 Registered interest
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 August 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the international consensus principles for ethical wildlife control, and how these relate to the Shared Approach to Wildlife Management as agreed by organisations and NatureScot.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the international consensus principles for ethical wildlife control and alongside the recent Parliamentary debate on the issue, I previously met with OneKind to discuss those principles in more detail, and last month Scottish Government officials attended a workshop organised by both John Muir Trust and OneKind on the principles and how they could be applied in deer management.
Animal welfare remains at the heart of our wildlife management policies and we have taken a number of steps in recent years in order to ensure the highest standards of animal and wildlife welfare in Scotland.
NatureScot has invited stakeholders such as the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission and animal welfare organisations such as the Wild Animal Welfare Committee to work with them on exploring where they think we can go further in regards to animal welfare and the international consensus principles for ethical wildlife control being applied within the Shared Approach.