NatureScot has today announced a three-year General Licence restriction on two shooting estates: Milton of Drimmie Estate, near Blairgowrie, Perthshire, and Invermark Estate in the Angus Glens.
MILTON OF DRIMMIE ESTATE, PERTHSHIRE
The Milton of Drimmie restriction relates to the conviction earlier this year of gamekeeper and ex-sex offender Russell Mason, after he was caught on camera battering to death a Goshawk that had been caught inside a Crow cage trap on the Pheasant-shooting estate in February 2024.
Mason received a derisory 200-hour Community Payback Order for killing the Goshawk (even though his crime passed the custodial threshold) and he was also fined £890 for firearms offences (see here).
As far as I’m aware, NatureScot delayed its decision to apply a three-year General Licence restriction on this estate whilst criminal proceedings against Mason were ongoing.
The General Licence restriction on Milton of Drimmie relates to Cochrage Muir (outlined in red on the map below), which is owned by Milton of Drimmie Estate, and prohibits the use of General Licences 01, 02 and 03 on that land from 7th August 2026 up to and including 7th August 2029.
INVERMARK ESTATE, ANGUS GLENS
The Invermark Estate restriction relates to the discovery of a Peregrine with shotgun injuries on 3 September 2024, close to grouse butts in the Glen Esk area of the notorious Angus Glens. The Peregrine was later euthanised due to the extent of its injuries.
This incident, and the subsequent decision to impose a three-year General Licence restriction, but not a revocation of a grouse-shooting licence, deserves its own blog, which I’ll try and write in the coming days.
The General Licence restriction on Invermark Estate relates to Dalbrack Farm (outlined in red on the map below), which is owned by Invermark Estate, and prohibits the use of General Licences 01, 02 and 03 on that land from 7th August 2026 up to and including 7th August 2029.
Here is NatureScot’s announcement today:
7 August 2026
NatureScot has today restricted the use of general licences for three years on land at Milton of Drimmie Estate, Perthshire, and Invermark Estate, Angus.
The decision was made based on evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against birds.
In the case of Milton of Drimmie, this relates to the conviction of former gamekeeper Russell Mason at Perth Sheriff Court on 17 March 2026 for killing a goshawk. The restriction will apply to the area of Cochrage Muir, where the offence took place.
In the case of Invermark Estate, the restriction will apply to the Dalbrack Farm area of the estate. NatureScot received robust evidence from Police Scotland in relation to the shooting of a peregrine which was discovered in this area.
Chris Dailly, NatureScot’s Head of Licensing, said: “We have decided, in discussion with Police Scotland, to suspend the use of general licences on these two areas of land for three years until August 2029.
“We are committed to using all the tools we have available to tackle wildlife crime. These measures will help to protect wild birds in these areas, while still allowing necessary land management activities to take place.
“We believe this is a proportionate response to protect wild birds and prevent further wildlife crime. We will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and consider information they provide on cases which may warrant restricting general licences.”
Individual licences may still be applied for, but these will be subject to strict record-keeping and reporting requirements and will be closely monitored to ensure licence conditions are met.
General licences allow landowners or land managers to carry out control of common species of wild birds, such as crows and magpies, to protect crops or livestock, without the need to apply for an individual licence.
In addition to these restrictions, there are currently three other restrictions in place in Scotland: on Lochindorb Estate in the Highlands and Raeshaw Estate and Watherston Wood in the Scottish Borders.
ENDS
General Licence restrictions, which have been available to NatureScot since 2014, are based on the civil burden of proof and are issued when NatureScot receives information from Police Scotland about wildlife crimes but where there is insufficient evidence to identify an individual offender for prosecution. Although, General Licence restrictions can also be imposed on estates where gamekeepers have been convicted of wildlife crimes, as in the Milton of Drimmie Estate case.
General Licence restrictions do not prevent an estate from game-shooting, nor do they prevent an estate from carrying out [lawful] predator control – this can still be undertaken if the estate applies for an ‘individual licence’ which may restrict the amount of predator control, the estate may be subject to compliance spot checks, and the licence holder must provide NatureScot with licence returns (i.e. indicate how many birds were killed, where, and when etc).
General Licence restrictions are not perfect as an effective sanction – they are nowhere near, as I’ve written about many times before (e.g. see here and links within). They do, however, work as a ‘reputational driver’, although in some cases reputation is apparently not an issue of concern.
I’ll come back to the shot Peregrine on Invermark Estate in a separate blog…
Raptor Persecution UK 
no vicarious liability brought against the estates? Surprise surprise.
Oh, the estate where the nesting tree of an early east Scotland white-tailed eagle was felled and nobody knew anything about it. 😤