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Chairman's Blog
10.03.10
Going forward on a high
What a great show of support we had last weekend, both at the AGM where we had one of the biggest turnouts ever, then over the following two days at our Game and Angling Show at Ingliston where SGA members and countryside enthusiasts poured through the gates, many of them stopping at our stand to voice their backing for what we do and to sign up new members.
It was also encouraging to meet young members who were enthusiastic about getting involved in the running of the SGA and to that end we're making plans to hold meetings in remote parts of the country to encourage that fresh blood and energy to come forward for election. Keep an eye on your magazine or the website for information on dates and locations.
So all in all it was a highly constructive three days and we're breathing a collective sigh of relief that the inaugural show proved to be such a success. The feedback was that the timing and location was right and most people just want it to be bigger and with more attractions throughout the day. Consider that work in progress and the SGA show a fixture on the annual show calendar from now on.
Meanwhile on the political front it looks as though we're going to have a lot on our hands over the next few months. It was clear from what the Environment Minister said at the AGM that there's some tough lobbying ahead during the passage of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill which is expected to attract amendments that are unlikely to be to our liking.
I suspect we'll be seeing rather a lot of Edinburgh during the rest of 2010.
04.03.10
A busy weekend ahead
With snow still on the hills and a decent forecast for the next few days I'm hoping that we might get perfect weather for our AGM at Perth tomorrow and the first SGA Game and Angling Show over the weekend at Ingliston. The events may be taking place indoors but the weather conditions outside will have a major bearing on whether or not keepers and other country folk take the day off and turn up.
If the snow had gone from the hills, for instance, keepers would be out there getting an early start to the heather burning season. As a profession we're notoriously bad at taking a day off, but we certainly know how to enjoy ourselves when we do!
All the preparations are coming together now for the next three days of politics, business, debate and socialising. I'm especially looking forward to what the Environment Minister has to say at the AGM and amongst other things we'll be reiterating the statements we made earlier this week that deer need to be left in peace to withstand the rest of the winter, not hounded to death as advised by one so-called wildlife charity. The organisation which called for an extension to the hind cull made sweeping statements without taking the time to understand the practicalities or the wider picture. You can read the details in the press statement on our home page.
So today I'm delegating all the practical outdoors work to my son. For me it's speech writing, a radio interview previewing the show for BBC Scotland's Out of Doors programme and countless other preparations which will keep me busy until late tonight. And all the time I'll be looking out of the window and keeping my fingers crossed that the weather doesn't change too much so that we get great turn-outs at both events. See you there!
24.02.10
In the majority
I've just spent a couple of hours reading the independent analysis of responses to the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill consultation on the Scottish Government website and am feeling encouraged that the strong views submitted by the SGA have been supported by so many other organisations and individuals.
I'm delighted, for instance, that the most contentious proposals for changes to the management of red deer - and in particular on the abolition of close seasons - were overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of respondents. Some 83% of respondents rejected the idea of abolishing the male season and 70% said there should be no change to the female season.
But that doesn't necessarily mean the Government will listen, although we'll be doing all we can to influence the Environment Minister when she addresses our annual meeting at Perth on 5th March.
What this consultation underlines yet again is the massive gulf between the views held by land and wildlife managers and those organisations which are focused on conservation and animal welfare. It's absolutely vital that organisations like the SGA continue to fight for the views of practical people to be heard.
I'm hoping to see as many members as possible at the agm. It's your chance to debate the issues and influence policy. The meeting starts at 10am sharp, but please come early for tea and coffee before business gets under way.
09.02.10
25 days...and counting!
We had a meeting yesterday to discuss progress with our Show at Ingliston in just three weeks time - the 6th and 7th of March.
It's all falling into place, with around 60 top exhibitors booked so far, and more still asking for space. We've got signs up on main roads across the country, banners are being erected on the Royal Highland Centre stand, the website is getting lots of extra hits and everywhere I go keepers are talking about coming along to their own Game Show.
What's attracting them? Partly it'll be the prospect of seeing what's new and buying some essentials for the year ahead. There's the added attraction of a range of seminars on everything from game crops and salmon to saving the red squirrel and Scottish sport tourism. And there's also the knowledge that we'll have a restaurant and bar open for business and socialising after all those long lonely months trudging through the snow!
So if a lot of you are coming along why not arrange a bus for the glen or neighbouring estates and come in a group?
Whatever transport you use parking will be free. And I look forward to seeing you there.
03.02.10
Setting the record straight
I know (because they've told me) that animal welfare groups and Government officials read this blog but I didn't think the SGA's own members followed it very closely.
The reaction to yesterday's posting proved me very wrong and highlighted the strength of feeling in this industry when it comes to red deer.
I'd posted a link to the Oban Times website which carried a story about a group of deer which had been killed in a Forest Enterprise woodland during the heavy snow. They'd got in through a broken fence and were doing damage to the trees. Despite a local agreement to chase them out, Commission rangers shot them.
The SGA has argued for years that woodland or areas of regeneration should be protected by a secure deer fence so that both approaches to land use can work side by side and that is still our unwavering policy.
My correspondents and critics were Forestry Commission stalkers (fellow SGA members) whose job is to protect woodland and they were angry that I was ignoring the fact that their employers required them to take the action they did. And they felt frustrated that as employees they weren't allowed to respond publicly to press criticism.
My argument is absolutely not with the men who do a clean, efficient job but with the policy which makes some measures necessary, and that's down to the failure of Government and conservation agencies to adequately fence animals out of afforested land. My apologies for not making that clearer yesterday.
02.02.10
Survival of the fittest
I was out "brashing" in the woods yesterday, cutting back some of the excess branches so that we're able to walk among the trees, and I came across a hare on one of the snowy paths, just sitting in the snow, unmoving. I went close and although it was alive it seemed too weak to move away so I left it in peace and got on with the work.
On my way home I passed the same way again and discovered that the hare had died in the exact spot I'd seen it earlier. It was just skin and bone, a victim of the snow and ice which still covers all the land down here. I felt sad for the creature that had starved to death,and for all the other wildlife which are still suffering this winter.
My stalker friend Peter Fraser from Braemar, and many of his colleagues out on the hills called a temporary halt to stalking weeks ago because the deer needed all the energy they had just to survive in the conditions this winter, and disturbing them when they're at their lowest ebb just doesn't seem right.
Unfortunately our national agency, Forestry Commission is taking the opposite approach and is using the freeze as an opportunity to slaughter as many weakened animals as they can. You can read all about it on the Oban TImes website.