Earlier this month, NatureScot announced it was imposing a three-year General Licence restriction on Invermark Estate in the Angus Glens, relating to the discovery of a Peregrine with shotgun injuries found on 3 September 2024.
The three-year General Licence restriction on Invermark Estate doesn’t apply to the whole estate, just to land managed by 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.
In accordance with NatureScot’s Framework for implementing General Licence restrictions, Invermark Estate was entitled to appeal the restriction decision within 14 days of its implementation.
When an estate makes a formal appeal in writing, it effectively suspends the General Licence restriction notice until such time that NatureScot makes a decision on the appeal, which it tries to complete within four weeks.
I noticed yesterday that the decision notice to impose the three-year General Licence restriction on Invermark Estate had vanished from NatureScot’s website, which I interpret as meaning Invermark has appealed the restriction decision, and so NatureScot has temporarily suspended the restriction whilst the appeal is considered.
I’m not aware of any previous appeals made by other estates against General Licence restrictions ever being successful. Failed appeals include Raeshaw Estate and Corsehope Farm in 2016 (here, and a further failed judicial review in 2017, here), Burnfoot Estate and Wester Cringate Estate’s failed appeal in 2016 (here), Leadhills Estate’s failed appeal in 2020 (here, and for hilarious details of that failed appeal see here), Leadhills Estate’s (again) failed appeal in 2021 (here), Lochan Estate’s failed appeal in 2022 (here), Invercauld Estate’s failed appeal in 2022 (here), Moy Estate’s failed appeal in 2022 (here), and Raeshaw Estate’s (again) failed appeal in 2026 (here); Raeshaw has now lodged a judicial review against this latest decision (here).
Millden Estate said it would appeal its General Licence restriction in 2023 although I’m not sure whether it ever did. If it did appeal and I missed it, the appeal must have failed because the restriction was still in place in March 2026 when it was due to formally end. Lochindorb Estate is currently serving a General Licence restriction but I’m not sure it ever appealed, and if it did, the appeal must have failed because the restriction is still active today. The Milton of Drimmie Estate is currently serving a General Licence restriction and hasn’t made an appeal because the restriction is still in place and the appeal deadline has now passed.
General Licence restrictions are imposed on estates when there is sufficient evidence from Police Scotland that raptor persecution has taken place but when there is insufficient evidence to prosecute a named individual.
When NatureScot imposed the three-year General Licence restriction on Invermark Estate in August this year, a statement attributed to the estate was published in The Courier on the same day. It went like this:
There’s lots of very interesting stuff in this statement, and I intend to examine some of the claims in another blog.
But for now, I’m fascinated by Invermark Estate’s appeal against the General Licence restriction, which it claims is a “significant restriction upon us“, but has argued that it does not manage the land covered by the restriction.
Er, something doesn’t add up.
I’ll return to this soon!
Raptor Persecution UK 
Invermark estate ” is home to more than 100 different bird species” I’d be surprised if it was.
In my mind it begs the question as to whether or not Invermark Estate have or would be applying for individual licenses on behalf of their tenants or sub-tenants. The owners claim that the land is “fully managed” by the tenants so how would they be able to provide the required evidence for an individual license?As you suggest this seems rather suspicious.
That is a long list of estates that didn’t appeal the restriction. Are these estates checked for compliance with the ban, they could be ignoring it completely.
Hi Chris,
That is a long list of estates that DID appeal the restriction – all their appeals failed.