Holyrood to review access code after deer managers report conflicts

The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee is to hold a short inquiry into how well the Scottish Outdoor Access Code is working, less than three weeks after the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) published survey evidence of rising conflict between public access and deer management.

What will the committee examine?

The inquiry will look at whether the code, the framework that has governed responsible access since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, is operating as intended and whether changes are needed. A call for views is open on the Parliament’s consultation site until 23 November.

The SGA, which has campaigned for the review, is urging all its members to respond, not only those managing deer. The association said it was delighted the committee had agreed to look at access.

Pressure from the hill

The SGA’s Deer Management and Access survey, published on 10 September, found 63% of respondents reporting that their work is negatively affected by access conflicts, from dogs among hinds and calves to walkers crossing ground during culls, with practitioners describing rising stress in the profession.

According to the SGA, the Rural Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin told MSPs last week that the Scottish Government does not currently intend to review right-to-roam legislation, while acknowledging that irresponsible access can hamper land management. The committee’s inquiry gives the profession a parliamentary route regardless of that position.

What happens next

The call for views closes on 23 November 2026, and the committee is expected to take evidence over the winter. Deer managers, keepers, stalkers and shoot operators with direct experience of access pressure should respond with specific, dated examples; the desk will report the inquiry’s progress.