Scotland’s nature bill strengthens deer management

New Scottish Natural Environment Bill includes clear steps to strengthen deer management - but Trust says more ambition is needed.

The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 29 January 2026, a year after its introduction.

The Trust welcomes the stronger provisions on deer management secured during the Bill’s passage — but this must be the start of more fundamental reform.

Thanks to the efforts of our Policy team, working with partners including RSPB Scotland and Scottish Environment LINK, several important amendments were agreed at Stage 3:

• Ministers must now publish a National Deer Management Plan and a Venison Plan, setting clear strategic priorities.

• Clear timescales have been introduced for control schemes and control agreements.

• NatureScot has a stronger legal basis to intervene — not only where deer are causing damage, but also to enable nature restoration.

• There is now a right to request an action review where deer are not being adequately managed.

These measures improve transparency and accountability. However, deer densities in many areas remain incompatible with woodland expansion, peatland recovery and wider ecosystem restoration. Key aspects of protecting wild places. 

The new statutory plans give both Government and NatureScot greater scope to push further — and the Trust will be pressing for ambitious implementation. A key focus will be securing support for those delivering clear public goods through effective deer management, including our proposal for a national subsidy programme to support landowners committed to achieving deer densities which allow for habitat recovery.

We will raise these priorities in a forthcoming meeting with the Scottish Government and continue to press for deer reform that matches Scotland’s climate and biodiversity commitments.