News

Calls for bigger fines and longer prison sentences for wildlife criminals

Press Release

People convicted of wildlife crimes such as deer poaching, hare coursing and bird of prey persecution should receive bigger fines and longer prison sentences than currently available says Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the organisation which represents landowners and rural businesses. In its response to the Scottish Government...

Estates support police appeal over golden eagle

Press Release

Sporting estates today backed a police appeal for information over a golden eagle which was seen flying in the North-east of Scotland with what appeared to be a trap attached to its leg. Police Scotland issued the appeal after the bird was spotted by a tourist on Friday last week in the Deeside area. Scottish Land & Estates said today...

Grouse season underway as ‘lifeline’ to remote communities is recognised

Press Release

The vital contribution of grouse moors to jobs, tourism and wildlife conservation in remote areas of Scotland has been heralded as the season got underway today. As Rottal Estate in the Angus Glens hosted the first party to go out on the Glorious Twelfth, rural communities backed the pursuit as vital to their long-term sustainability...

Scotland’s rural organisations ask for the value of grouse shooting to be acknowledged

Press Release

Rural organisations have appealed to politicians to recognise the value of grouse shooting ahead of one of the most important seasons in generations. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) - alongside the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA), the Scottish Countryside Alliance (SCA)...

Fake news must not shape future of grouse moors

General News

Following the recent story falsely claiming that shooters were travelling from the UK to hunt puffins in Iceland, Tim Baynes, Director of the Scottish Land and Estates Moorland Group, discusses the serious matter of fake news on social media. Puffins are a bird not normally found in the crosshairs of the debate around moorland management...

SLE responds to NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report

General News

Responding to the recently published NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report 2019, Sarah-Jane Laing, Executive Director at Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Rural crime continues to have a real impact throughout Scotland but there has been tangible progress made in improving prevention and detection measures. “New technology is already playing a...

SLE support for new expert panel

Press Release

Responding to Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy Fergus Ewing’s announcement today that a panel of academic experts will review and revise rural policy in Scotland, Eleanor Kay, Policy Adviser for Scottish Land & Estates said: “We have been calling for evidence-based policy for some time to help rural Scotland thrive. That’s why we fully...

The SAC report is positive boost for farmers

Press Release

Commenting on the publication of the Scottish Affairs Committee report on the Future of Scottish Agriculture post-Brexit, David Johnstone, Chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, which represents farmers and other rural landowners said: “The SAC report is the positive boost needed at an anxious time of uncertainty for Scottish Farmers and...

SLE Statement on Wildlife Crime Case

Press Release

We have issued the following statement after the conviction of a gamekeeper on wildlife crime offences at Jedburgh Sheriff Court. David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Wildlife crime of any kind is absolutely unacceptable and those who undertake such reckless acts should feel the full force of the law. This...

New study reveals huge decline in bird species when grouse management ends

Press Release

Ending grouse moor management risks declines - and possible local extinctions - of a range of ground-nesting bird species, a new study has revealed. Published today (Monday 22 July) by Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the new research looks at the impact of stopping grouse management on birds such as curlew, golden plover, lapwing...