The Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, currently at Stage 2 of its progression through the Scottish Parliament, makes a provision that when assessing whether to issue a grouse shooting and/or muirburn licence the relevant authority (in this case, NatureScot) must consider whether the licence applicant is complying with the relevant new codes of practice.
These new codes of practice, designed to support the new legislation, are anticipated to include detailed guidance on issues such as the use of wildlife traps, medicated grit, muirburn specifications etc and to clarify what will be a statutory requirement and what will be considered guidance as ‘best practice’.
Under the leadership of NatureScot, two working groups have been established to draft these new codes of practice – one group for general grouse shoot management and one group for muirburn. The terms of the new codes will be thrashed out by these groups.
Minister for Environment Gillian Martin MSP has recently written to the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee to provide an update on the formation of these two working groups and the progress they’ve made so far. Here’s her letter:
I was amused by the Minister’s claim that ‘there is broad agreement amongst the members of each Group as to what should be included in the Codes‘.
Really?
Given the organisations involved in the working groups (see the annex at the end of the Minister’s letter), I’d be utterly amazed if there is ‘broad agreement’ about anything!
All the usual suspects from the grouse shooting world are there (BASC, Countryside Alliance, GWCT, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Gamekeepers and the Regional Moorland Groups (which are basically subgroups of the SGA and SLE)) and many of them have been vocally opposed to the Bill since it was first introduced last year (e.g. see here).
Are we really expected to believe that they’re now working in harmony with pro-Bill groups such as the RSPB, the Scottish Raptor Study Group, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Cairngorms National Park Authority without making any attempt to water down the terms of the new codes?
Its laughable.
Raptor Persecution UK 
You mean they’re going to end driven grouse shooting, stop killing Mountain Hares, end all the persecution of native wildlife and provide full information on anyone they know illegally persecuting raptors. That would sort of be broadly agreeing with conservationists.
For what it is worth there are several so called groups here that I believe should not be present, they are just pro shooting pressure groups or groups whose members are already represented Scottish Countryside Alliance, Scotland’s Regional Moorland Groups, and arguably Scottish Gamekeepers Association. Its the usual suspects loaded on to any discussion of aspects around grouse shooting and frankly the non scientific pressure groups should not be present as they add nothing but discord.