NFU Scotland fully supports the Scottish Government’s position that there should be no reintroduction of lynx or other large carnivores in Scotland.
Proposals to bring back lynx are wholly unacceptable to farmers and crofters and pose serious risks to livestock welfare, farm businesses and fragile rural communities. There remain significant unanswered questions around livestock predation, animal welfare impacts, wider unintended consequences and, critically, who would bear the responsibility and cost when things go wrong.
While we recognise the importance of public discussion and engagement, our members are deeply concerned about the practical realities of introducing a large predator into landscapes where it has been absent for centuries. Scotland’s farmers and crofters already operate in some of the most challenging conditions in Europe and are working hard to produce high-quality food, deliver environmental benefits and sustain rural economies.
Claims about lynx behaviour offer little reassurance. We are told that lynx primarily prey on roe deer but this cannot be guaranteed. Lynx prefer woodland cover and avoid open ground, yet Scotland’s sheep grazing areas often include trees, shelter belts and scrub that sheep use for protection from the elements. These features could equally provide cover for ambush predators. Unlike in some European countries, Scotland’s sheep systems are truly extensive, with animals spread across large areas rather than kept in small, protected groups or brought into secure enclosures at night. We simply don’t have the evidence to know what might happen in Scotland and so the risk to livestock producers and for animal welfare is significant.
Experience with other species reinforces these concerns. The reintroduction of sea eagles has shown that predator behaviour can vary depending on origin and experience. Captive-bred birds released in Scotland lacked natural hunting experience, and this is believed to have contributed to impacts on lambs. Similar uncertainties surround any potential lynx release.
As consultation events take place, it is vital that farmers and crofters make their voices heard. NFU Scotland’s position is clear and unequivocal: reintroduction must not proceed. Discussions about compensation do not change this position. Any credible compensation scheme would need to cover worst-case scenarios, operate indefinitely for as long as lynx remain in Scotland, and fully reflect the real costs to farm businesses and animal welfare. Such a commitment would be extremely difficult for any government to guarantee and underlines why reintroduction is the wrong path
The focus must remain on supporting those who live and work on the land, rather than introducing new and unnecessary risks that threaten the balance between food production, biodiversity and rural livelihoods.
NFU Scotland will continue to engage constructively with stakeholders and the Scottish Government, while making it absolutely clear that there should be no reintroduction of lynx in Scotland.