The Scottish Countryside Alliance, alongside The British Deer Society, SACS UK, NFU Scotland, the Association of Deer Management Group, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Venison, BASC and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, have released the following statement.
"We, the undersigned, firmly believe any changes to legislation must respect the welfare of deer, the positive benefit of deer to the Scottish economy, and support the rural workforce and the volunteers who manage deer.
We advocate for a management approach which treats deer as an asset to be managed in the public interest and that champions venison as a healthy, sustainable meat in line with the Scottish Venison Strategy. Any and all changes to legislative and other deer management practices must be based on sound evidence and have been consulted on adequately before being introduced.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet Scottish Government Ministers and NatureScot to discuss the Scottish Government's response to the report from the Deer Working Group on 'The management of wild deer in Scotland'."
You can read the statement in PDF form here.