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Deer Commission severely criticised on Landward
for alleged breaches of animal welfare and food safety regulations
Editorial
Filed 23 June 04
©www.land-care.org.uk
Landward BBC1, Scotland's long running rural affairs
magazine programme, graphically documented in some detail the deer
cull that took place earlier this year under the direction of the
Scottish Deer Commission at Glenfeshie, Cairngorms, Scotland In
its broadcast on Sunday 20th June.
It was alleged that many if not all the rules
concerning basic animal welfare and also rules concerning food hygiene
were flouted by the Deer Commission, an agency of the Scottish Executive.
Appalling film was shown of the deer being rounded
up by helicopter to be shot. It was alleged that in many cases many
shots were required to kill an animal, such was the nature of the
massacre. The hinds were manifestly carrying young and the shooting
of them was stated to be out of season. A gamekeeper alleged that
this horrific exercise was pointless as the deer would simply be
back next year.
The processing of the carcasses also came under
severe criticism, not least form Professor Hugh Pennington, the
distinguished authority on bacteriology and food safety. It was
alleged that the carcasses were dragged across fields where there
were the droppings of livestock. Professor Pennington stated that
there was a high probability of such faecal matter containing E
coli O157, and that once a carcass was contaminated with it there
was great difficulty in subsequently getting rid of it. He described
the practice used by the Deer Commission as "completely unacceptable"
(1) .
Land-Care also understands that even more serious
breaches of proper practice may have occurred in terms of where
the carcasses were taken for further processing and how further
contamination may well have taken place contrary to good practice.
Interviewed on Scottish TV the chairman of the
Scottish Deer Commission, Andrew Raven, claimed that no material
breaches of animal welfare or food safety regulations had occurred.
Most viewers of the TV programmes referred to above would find that
hard to believe.
Nevertheless an inquiry into the cull concluded
that the marksmen had acted legally in killing hundreds of animals,
but in publishing the report Ross Finnie, the environment minister
for the Scottish Parliament, warned the Deer Commission for Scotland
that more should have been done to protect animal welfare and food
safety. The inquiry said cross-contamination of carcasses could
have occurred as a result of using unwashed knives and vehicles
(2).
The full report of the outcome of the inquiry,
which was conducted by SEERAD officials (i.e. a government department
inquiring into the activities of one of its own agencies - the Deer
Commission of Scotland) is available in full on this website (3).
A Scottish Executive news release on the subject is also available
here (4).
It is hardly surprising that the Scottish Gamekeepers
Association has described the inquiry as a whitewash, and many would
agree with them. Andrew Raven's appearance on TV saying that the
Deer Commission of Scotland had been exonerated and that no significant
breaches of regulations had occurred would have done him and his
Commission no favours. One rule for the people and another for government
and its agencies (who are supposed to show by good example) is what
many people must be thinking.
It is extraordinary that in the report by the
Scottish Executive (3) the Food Standards
Agency (FSA) said it had no concerns about food safety (1).
It has to be wondered whose advice did the officials of SEERAD seek
when preparing the report for the Minister. Land-Care contacted
the FSA office in Aberdeen but no one was available to comment,
but clarification is being saught.
The reason given for needing such an extensive
cull in the first place was to protect the internationally important
Caledonian pine forests. No doubt Scottish Natural Heritage had
a hand in this as well. In the view of Land-Care that does not justify
such appalling mismanagement.
Apparently when there are other political priorities
(such as conservation) SEERAD and government agencies can over-ride
their own rules on animal welfare and food hygiene and deny having
done so.
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. BBC News (2004). Hygiene concerns
over culled deer. Sunday 20 June
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/38234393.stm
2. Crilly, Rob & Ross, David
(2004). Commission 'acted legally' on Highland deer cull.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/17874-print.shtml
3. SEERAD officials (2004). Report
to ministers. Operations involving the Deer Commission for Scotland
in Glenfeshie and Strathglass.pdf. Available from SEERAD
4. Scottish Executive (2004).
Press release. Report into emergency deer cull 20 June 2004
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/2004/06/SEEN896d.aspx
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