Rural Affairs and Islands Committee 10 December 2025 [Draft]
I will speak to amendments 78 and 79 on behalf of Ariane Burgess.
Amendment 78 would establish a requirement to consult with communities in relation to new forestry. It is very similar to an amendment that Ariane Burgess lodged at stage 2 of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024. It is informed, as are Mercedes Villalba’s amendments, by the recommendations from the RSE, which has called for forestry applications to be subject to more EIAs, including the important public consultation element. The amendment would increase the consultation requirements without requiring a full EIA to be conducted.
Amendment 79 would bar Scottish ministers from providing and approving public funding for deer fencing, including any on-going maintenance of existing fencing. That draws on the report from the John Muir Trust, which raised concerns about the proportion of forestry payments that support deer fencing as opposed to other deer population control measures. Its argument is that the current funding model is an inefficient use of taxpayers’ money and is not a long-term strategy for increasing nature restoration. The funding for deer fencing concentrates deer density on unfenced land. Moving to a natural regeneration approach would focus on controlling deer populations to lower densities and allow for more natural and effective woodland restoration.
It is argued that that approach would also create healthier environments at a landscape scale by allowing the free movement of other wildlife.