11 May 2020
Survey – stalking lets and venison supply
ADMG, the Lowland Deer Network Scotland (LDNS), and the Scottish Venison Association (SVA) are conducting a short survey to assess what impact you think COVID-19 may have on your deer management plans for 2020/21, in particular let stalking and the supply of venison into the human food chain.
It would be extremely helpful in enabling us to be better informed about this situation if you could complete the survey. This should take no more than 5 minutes to do and will give us valuable insight into how the current crisis is likely to affect our sector in the short and longer term.
We know from discussions with game dealers/processors and feedback from them that they will struggle to maintain production at viable levels in order to comply with social distancing regulations at their premises. This is in addition to the restaurant/catering/foodservice sector being completely closed (a major outlet for all) and, even when it resumes, will take time to revert to anything near normal working.
Thank you for completing the survey.
Grants and business support
Self-employed income support scheme
Those deemed by HMRC to be eligible for this scheme will be receiving letters in the next day or so if they have not received a letter already. This gives details to those self-employed (including those in ordinary partnerships) with individual profits under £50,000 to check their eligibility and log into the Government gateway. HMRC is expected to invite claims from 13 May 2020. There has however been some speculation that the threshold for claims may drop to £30,000 profits soon in an imminent update from the Chancellor.
Other support
A £45 million fund for viable vulnerable SMEs and a £20 million fund for small and micro enterprises in the creative, tourism and hospitality sectors (of which let shooting and stalking are a part) was announced recently. These schemes are designed to relieve the hardship of smaller firms in particular that are ineligible for other forms of support. More detail is available via this portal https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/
ADMG would be interested to hear from member businesses that apply for grant support but have their applications rejected. We would hope however that these measures above do open up some degree of support for some involved in the upland deer management sector.
The issue of 100% business rates relief for sporting enterprises and deer forests however still remains unresolved.
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E-SCOPE is produced for the Association of Deer Management Groups by Playfair Walker.
