Committee
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 11 February 2026 [Draft]
11 Feb 2026 · S6 · Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Primitive Goat Species (Protected Status) (PE2151)
First, I would like to say that the goats are very cute, and I find it bizarre that we are protecting seagulls, which attack humans, and not these lovely, cute goats.Unfortunately, I believe that the committee has no choice but to close the petition under rule 15.7 of standing orders on the basis that, as the convener has highlighted, amendments relating to the petition were lodged at stage 2 of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill and, ultimately, the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee decided that these precious little animals required no additional protection. That, along with the Scottish Government’s view that it has no plans to provide full legal protected status for feral goats, means that we have no other choice, unfortunately, but to close the petition.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Con
PE2151 is on granting protected status to primitive goat species in the Scottish Borders. There is considerable public interest in this petition; indeed, I k...
Maurice Golden
Con
First, I would like to say that the goats are very cute, and I find it bizarre that we are protecting seagulls, which attack humans, and not these lovely, cu...
The Convener
Con
I think that, had Parliament not expressed a view, we might have been in a different position.It has been a recurring feature in my education as convener of ...
Fergus Ewing
Ind
Exactly.
The Convener
Con
However, that is where we are at. Are colleagues content that that is the position that we are in?Members indicated agreement.10:45