Although the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 does not place a specific requirement on Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to consider the socio-economic impact of authorisations for close season culling, when making such decisions SNH applies the balancing duty under the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 to take account of the need for social and economic development in Scotland, the regulators’ duty under the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 to contribute to achieving sustainable economic growth, and the balancing duty in the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to take account of factors including the size and density of the deer population and its impact on the natural heritage, and the interests of owners and occupiers of land.