Environment Bill day 2- all you need to know

 

 

The second hearing on amendments to the Natural Environment Bill will take place at Holyrood on Wednesday, with crucial votes and debates on gamebird releasing, grouse and deer.

 

As we told you last week, several amendments were put forward by Green and Labour MSPs regarding gamebird releases being licensed in Scotland.

 

We will now find out how the Rural Affairs Committee intends to vote on these, with Minister Gillian Martin MSP stating last week that the Government would not be minded to move towards licensing without proper research into what is a very important rural activity.

 

However, it is inevitable the Greens, in particular, will wish to return to this issue in future, whatever the voting outcome, given their negative stance on game shooting in general.

 

Game shooting benefits

 

Industry partners have sought discussions since last week’s evidence session, reiterating the benefits of game shooting in terms of employment, biodiversity, economy and community.

 

 

In terms of grouse, there are important amendments on muirburn, which the SGA supports, while the Minister has tabled an amendment which would enable NatureScot to adjust the extent of licensable land a Grouse Shooting licence could be applied to, or revoked, if an offence was committed.

 

Deer will also be in MSPs’ sights, with a raft of amendments regarding the species, which are likely to take some time to get through.

 

 

As stated before, the SGA oppose new 6ZB powers which will give NatureScot a wide-ranging remit to intervene in deer management on the comparatively subjective grounds of ‘nature restoration’.

 

Deer managers have been asked for years to carry out Habitat Impact Assessments but this new intervention power changes the goalposts again in a way which will allow NatureScot an unprecedented remit as arbiter.

 

The regulator can order an accelerated deer plan, amend or reject it and apply a nature restoration order.

 

The SGA believes this new power will

 

• Demoralise the vital voluntary deer management sector
• Cost deer management jobs
• Be applied inequitably
• Lead to court actions
• Entrench divisions between the uplands and lowlands in terms of how deer are managed

 

To read more on our stance, visit: https://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/latest-news/2024/2025-11-11-sga-calls-for-removal-of-deer-powers-from-bill.php

 

How to tune into the debates

 

You can watch the session of the Rural Affairs Committee on Parliament TV.

 

To help with timings, the Agenda for the meeting can be found, here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-rural-affairs-and-islands-committee/meetings/2025/rural-affairs-and-islands-committee-26-november-2025

 

You can find Parliament TV, here (click on Rural Affairs and Islands Committee) when you are on the Parliament TV page, which can be accessed, here: https://www.scottishparliament.tv