Mark Ruskell named convener of Holyrood rural affairs committee

Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell has been appointed convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee, the body that scrutinises much of the legislation shaping shooting in Scotland. The appointment, confirmed after May’s Holyrood election, places a supporter of grouse moor licensing at the head of the committee that oversees muirburn rules, deer management and wildlife trap law.

What does the rural affairs committee do?

The committee is the Session 7 successor to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, which took the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act through Parliament. Its remit covers the areas of greatest consequence for gamekeepers and estates: the licensing scheme for red grouse shooting, the licensing of muirburn, restrictions on snaring and other traps, and deer management.

A committee convener sets the agenda, chairs evidence sessions and steers scrutiny of the secondary legislation and codes of practice that follow an Act. That gives the role real influence over how closely shooting-related measures are examined and how readily the sector is invited to give evidence.

Why does the appointment matter for shooting?

Much of the framework regulating shooting in Scotland is still being built. Muirburn will require a licence across Scotland from autumn 2026, the codes of practice underpinning grouse moor licences are being finalised, and further rules on traps and deer management are expected to come before the committee.

Mr Ruskell, who has represented Mid Scotland and Fife since 2003, is a long-serving member of Holyrood’s environment and rural committees and supported the move to license grouse shooting. The Scottish Farmer reported that his appointment was welcomed by environmental groups and watched warily by farming and land management interests.

He has also lodged a parliamentary motion, S7M-00171, acknowledging the RSPB’s recent Patterns of Persecution report on the illegal killing of birds of prey, which the report links to land managed for gamebird shooting. The motion had been signed by 20 MSPs at the time of writing.

How are shooting organisations responding?

Shooting and land management bodies, including the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Scottish Land & Estates and BASC Scotland, had not issued public reaction to the appointment as this article was published. The sector has consistently argued that grouse moor and muirburn licensing must be workable and evidence-led, and is likely to seek to give evidence as the committee scrutinises the remaining rules.

What happens next

The committee is expected to examine the rollout of muirburn licensing before the scheme takes effect in autumn 2026, along with the codes of practice underpinning grouse moor licences. Estates, gamekeepers and their representative bodies will be watching its early agenda for signs of how the new convener intends to approach the sector, and shooting organisations are likely to request to give evidence.