Deer stalking: Scottish deer stalkers avoid compulsory testing

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Scottish deer stalkers avoid compulsory testing

The move would have made existing qualifications redundant.

By Barnaby Dracup

Thursday, 27 May 2010

Planned compulsory testing for Scottish deer stalkers has been scrapped.

Scottish deer stalkers avoid compulsory testing.
The move would have meant around 20,000 people involved in deer management to pass a mandatory test that could have made existing qualifications redundant.

The proposal had been expected to be part of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill but after successful lobbying, the idea was shelved, saving considerable amounts of public money being spent on establishing a register of deer stalkers in Scotland.

It will also prevent stalkers resident in Scotland from requiring a higher standard of testing than elsewhere in Europe.

BASC Scotland's press and policy officer, Nicolle Upton, said: "BASC Scotland uncovered misleading guidance regarding deer stalking fatalities in the consultation document. Our research showed that three fatalities referred to in the document were not associated with deer stalking, deer stalkers or indeed Scotland."