Chamber and committees

It will be a matter for the Chief Constable to decide how best to deploy the resources available to him, including wildlife crime.

The approved bodies follow an agreed course format and are considered by the Scottish Government to have the necessary knowledge and expertise in a Scottish context to carry out training in the setting of snares.

Whilst there is no requirement to audit or monitor the training courses delivered by the approved bodies, if a situation was brought to our attention that one of the approved bodies training was deficient we would then take steps to remedy the situation, including, if necessary, removing them from the list of approved bodies in the Schedule to The Snares (Training) (Scotland) (No.2) Order 2012.

A report by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) in 2006 titled “The Economic and Environmental Impact of Sporting Shooting” is the most recent study of the value of game shooting in Scotland. Their study estimated that, at that time, game shooting was worth £240 million annually to the economy of Scotland.

1,376 snare users have attended the snaring training courses, as set out in the Snares (Training) (Scotland) (No.2) Order 2012.

Representatives of the shooting industry estimate that there are approximately 5,000 snaring operators in Scotland. On the basis that 1,376 snare users have already attended the snaring course, this leaves approximately 3,624 that have still to attend the snaring training course. It is not compulsory for snaring operators to attend the course before the 1 April 2013 unless they are required to set a snare from this date.

It is the responsibility of an individual snaring operator to attend a snaring training course and produce a valid training certificate when requested to do so. Only when they have completed a training course can they obtain an identification number from the chief constable of their local police force. It will be an offence from 1 April 2013 to set a snare without displaying a tag on the snare which contains the snaring operator’s identification number.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-12369 on 30 January 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Committed spending on deer fencing is set out in the following tables:

(a) Organisation

	SG* (£)	FCS* (£)	FES (1)* (£)	SNH* (£)	Total (£)
2003	47,884	153,270	354,500	16,143	571,797
2004	20,584	410,207	327,500	11,147	769,438
2005	8,321	936,327	453,400	16,307	1,414,355
2006	26,864	1,939,691	463,000	12,545	2,442,100
2007	15,357	1,694,402	476,700	57,415	2,243,874
2008	270,714	661,264	491,900	54,317	1,478,195
2009	298,285	434,804	557,800	25,510	1,316,399
2010	2,100,189	Nil	1,324,700	15,200	3,440,089
2011	3,614,213	28,004	894,300	6,853	4,543,370
2012	3,617,743	Nil	1,491,600	18,109	5,127,452
Total	10,020,154	6,257,969	6,835,400	233,546	23,347,069

* Scottish Government, Forestry Commission Scotland, Forest Enterprise Scotland, Scottish National Heritage

(b) Source of funding

	SRDP SFGS (2) (£)	FES Direct Expenditure (£)	SRDP RP (3) (£)	Legacy Agri Environment Schemes (£)	SNH MA & NNR (4) (£)	Total (£)
2003	153,270	354,500	Nil	47,884	16,143	571,797
2004	410,207	327,500	Nil	20,584	11,147	769,438
2005	936,327	453,400	Nil	8,321	16,307	1,414,355
2006	1,939,691	463,000	Nil	26,864	12,545	2,442,100
2007	1,694,402	476,700	Nil	15,357	57,415	2,243,874
2008	661,264	491,900	261,858	8,856	54,317	1,478,195
2009	434,804	557,800	286,879	11,406	25,510	1,316,399
2010	Nil	1,324,700	2,091,996	8,193	15,200	3,440,089
2011	28,004	894,300	3,612,196	2,017	6,853	4,543,370
2012	Nil	1,491,600	3,617,743	Nil	18,109	5,127,452
Total	6,257,969	6,835,400	9,870,672	149,482	233,546	23,347,069

(1) Figures for 2003 – 2008 are an estimate as expenditure for deer fencing was not identified separately within Forest Enterprise Scotland accounts.

(2) Scottish Forest Grants Scheme.

(3) Rural Priorities Scheme – the value of funding is based on SG committed expenditure, based in turn on information provided by successful applicants. Payments to beneficiaries are made on a reimbursement basis.

(4) Scottish National Heritage expenditure on management agreements made under Section 15 of The Countryside Act 1968 (as amended) and expenditure on National Nature Reserves.

The Scottish Natural Heritage Site Condition Monitoring programme is used to assess condition on designated sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It records the impact of herbivores, including deer, sheep, cattle, hares and rabbits, but does not distinguish the impact of deer from other herbivores. Of the 957 SSSIs which could potentially suffer impacts by herbivores, 248 have been assessed as being in unfavourable condition due, wholly or partially, to the impact of herbivores.

<>Details of Forestry Commission Scotland’s spending on land management, in relation to the National Forest Estate, is provided in their annual report and accounts. This is published on the internet at: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6ahms9 The information given is detailed in the “statement of comprehensive net expenditure” on page 144.

<>Details about the condition of protected sites, including an analysis of unfavourable conditions and remedial action, is published annually by Scottish Natural Heritage as part of its official statistical publications. Information is available in the document The Official Statistic 2012 at: http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/official-statistics/official-stats/sites-favourable/