Crofters involved in a historic land purchase in Assynt are considering another community buyout of a Highland mountain.
A row broke out this month after NatureScot granted a license to the John Muir Trust (JMT) for out-of-season and night shooting on its land on Quinag to protect woodland.
It led the Assynt Crofters’ Trust (ACT) to say that deer culling without justifiable environmental gain “is just gratuitous and ultimately unsustainable”.
The trust argue deer fencing would effectively stop woodland damage “rather than indiscriminate killing which is unlikely to work in any case”.
It has now made a complaint to the Environmental Standards Authority and Scottish charity regulator OSCR about the granting of the licence.
In addition, the crofters’ trust says it is “considering the feasibility of joining in a community buyout of the mountain of Quinag from the John Muir Trust”.
Assynt buyout was pivotal to land reform movement
It comes close to the 30th anniversary of the trust becoming owners of the North Assynt Estate, in a move seen as pivotal to the land reform movement.
The trust says land reform legislation allows community bodies to apply to buy land “which is being used or managed in a way that results in or causes harm to the environmental wellbeing of a relevant community”.
It adds: “JMT’s continued and completely gratuitous killing of deer will have a direct, long lasting and detrimental effect on all of their neighbours and the local community as a whole.
“ACT believe that they and the local community are perfectly capable of managing the land for the benefit of woodland and deer matters in a way that does not seriously impact on either interest.”
But JMT dismissed the move as a “publicity stunt dreamed up to serve a wider political agenda”.
It says reducing deer density is essential to protect woodland on Quinag from damage from browsing deer.
In a statement, it says it learned of the community buyout idea from the media.
“We know that this has not been discussed with members of the Assynt Crofters Trust, nor with the wider community of Assynt.
“We suspect that this is the work of a few individual office bearers working with people from outside the community, pursuing their own agenda.
Buyout idea is ‘publicity stunt’
“Moreover, our understanding is that the Assynt Crofters Trust is a collection of individuals managing the land privately with a strong focus on sports shooting, which is a model more akin to private rather than community land ownership.
“We note the role in this dispute of an individual from outside the area who has a wider political agenda, and has long been hostile to both the John Muir Trust and the Scottish Government.”
The statement says JMT supported and helped fund the historic ACT buyout and has since backed other community land purchases.
“The John Muir Trust is proud of its record and the efforts we make to deliver for people and nature.
“The idea of a community buyout of Quinag seems to us nothing more than a publicity stunt dreamed up to serve a wider political agenda which is to undermine rather than support genuine land reform.”
It adds: “Those who want to corral deer onto their land for sport shooting are welcome to enclose their properties with rings of steel and manage their deer as private herds.
“We believe fencing is an expensive solution that soaks up public funds at a time when budgets everywhere are tight and fails to deal with the root problem of high deer densities, which damage peatland and prevent the regeneration of native woodland – both crucial to Scotland’s climate and biodiversity targets.”
NatureScot said sustainable deer management is vital to effectively tackle the nature loss and climate change crises.
“The John Muir Trust (JMT) submitted an application to us seeking authorisation to control deer out-of-season and at night on their Quinag land, to prevent damage to woodland and other habitats, including those on protected sites.
“We issued the authorisation because we are satisfied that damage is occurring or likely to occur, and that no other reasonable means of control can be adopted to prevent damage.”
Are you interested in more exclusive and breaking Highland and Islands news from the P&J? If so, why not join our dedicated Facebook page HERE
Conversation