Value to the Scottish Rural Economy

Some rural land uses in Scotland are subsidised, but deer management is not. The main costs relating to the employment of professional stalkers are usually met by the letting of stalking to visiting sportsmen, and from the sale of venison. Deer stalking as an established form of tourism also brings substantial benefits to rural communities, in the form of income for hotels, guest houses, shops, game dealers and other local businesses.

In addition, non-tourism related deer management expenditure, for example on fencing and the supply of specialist equipment generates significant economic activity.

In 2006 ADMG commissioned a consultancy study by Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) titled The Contribution of Deer Management to the Scottish Economy. This was a supplementary study to a UK-wide study into shooting sports as a whole by the same consultancy. The key findings were as follows:

• Total cost of all deer management in Scotland amounted to £105m in 2005. Two-thirds of this spend is retained in Scotland.
• Deer management in Scotland supports the equivalent of 2520 paid full time jobs in the country. The value of this employment for the Scottish economy is £70.4m.
• The average operational expenditure on deer management per land holding was £54,468 per annum of which 47% was spent on staff.

The Association of Deer Management Groups is a founder member of the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group (SCSTG) which brings together all the country sports in Scotland with a view to introducing a co-ordinated approach to the organisation and marketing of country sports tourism in Scotland.