Scotland’s sporting pursuits sector could suffer badly because of the shortcomings of a major review of wild deer management, according to a leading land manager.

Malcolm Taylor, a Partner at Bell Ingram, said the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) recommendations in its comprehensive review of Scotland’s wild deer will be greeted with dismay.

He said: “We are extremely disappointed by the report which seems to ignore the huge effort that deer managers have put in to managing the wild deer in Scotland.

“Significant amounts of private and public money have been spent on the preparation of deer management plans and this report will have the effect of disheartening stalkers throughout the country.

“It is clear that SNH are following the wishes of some politician and NGO’s who are looking to control land management in Scotland.

“This could have a massive impact on sports tourism in the future.”

The Scottish Government asked SNH to complete the deer management review after the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment (RACCE) Committee took evidence in 2013 on the effectiveness of Scotland’s current system for managing Scotland’s wild deer.

The review summarises the progress that deer management groups have made over the last couple of years. However, it also concludes that in some places deer continue to have a negative impact on biodiversity.

The review draws on evidence from deer managers, agencies and researchers to look at how effectively deer are managed throughout Scotland.

With over 110 years expertise in the agricultural land sector, Bell Ingram plays a key role in helping land and estate owners on their deer management operations.

Bell Ingram has 130 professional staff across 11 UK offices including: farm, estate and forestry managers; chartered surveyors, estate agents, architects, planners, and building surveyors; and tourism, GIS mapping, and renewable energy specialists.