Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this option is to benefit ground-nesting birds, such as black grouse and waders which are vulnerable to predation, by legally controlling crows, foxes, stoats and weasels.

Permanent grassland or rough grazing is eligible if it is either:

• within or immediately adjacent to a designated site where the qualifying interests include ground-nesting birds, or
• contains, or is adjacent to, active black grouse lek(s). Predator control can be funded within a 1.5 kilometre radius of leks

You must combine this option with one of the following options:

• Moorland Management
• Wader and Wildlife Mown Grassland
• Wader Grazed Grassland

You can check if this option is available on your holding using the search targeting tool which can be found on any of the following AECS guidance pages:

AECS Home

Eligibility

How to Apply

Management Options and Capital Items

Capital Items

You, or the person undertaking predator control on your behalf, must possess a wildlife trap licence issued by NatureScot. Before applying for a wildlife trap licence, practitioners will need to successfully complete approved training. Further information can be found on the NatureScot trap registration website.

You must prepare and submit for approval a predator control plan. The plan must detail the location, area and method of proposed predator control activity (crows only, or mammals and crows). It must also detail the personal identification number of the person operating the traps, and identify the proposed trap locations on a map.

For crow control only

• you must read and comply with the current General Licence to kill or take certain birds for the conservation of wild birds
• where using the General Licence on certain designated sites you must read, understand and abide by certain standing conditions.
• you must purchase the agreed number of Larsen traps by the 1 June of the first year of your contract. (Larsen mate and Larsen pod traps are not eligible for payment)
• traps must be tagged with the NatureScot operators registration number clearly visible
• each spring, you must set and operate the trap(s) as detailed in your predator control plan
• you must maintain a diary of the activity undertaken, including the current location of traps and dates that traps are set, or unset
• you must submit a report each year of the activity undertaken to RPID.

For mammal and crow control

• for crow trapping you must comply with the conditions for crow control described above
• the claim area must be limited to the eligible area as defined in the supporting guidance
• when trapping stoats you must read and comply with the current General Licence to use certain traps to kill stoats for the conservation of wild birds or the prevention of serious damage to livestock (Further details on the General Licence)
• as of 1 April 2020 you may no longer use other trap types to catch stoats (e.g. Fenn-type, WCS tube trap, BMI Magnum models); if you use these types of traps for control of other species and you catch stoats you will be breaking the law.
• you must manage the same location and extent each year for the duration of your contract
• you must set and operate traps in the locations detailed in your predator control plan
• As of 25 November 2024 snaring is banned in Scotland
• you must maintain a diary of the activity undertaken, including the current location of traps, dates that they are set and unset, or removed and dates of any lamping work for foxes
• you must submit a report each year of the activity undertaken to RPID

You can claim:

• for crow control: £259.60 per trap operated up to a maximum of ten traps per contract
• for mammal and crow control programme: £2.18 per hectare

Whilst control may take place out with the nesting period, only predator control activity undertaken between 1 March until 30 June is eligible for payment.

The inspectors will check:

For crow control only:

• you have purchased the agreed number of Larsen traps by 1 June of the first year of your contract. (Larsen mate and Larsen pod traps are not eligible for payment)
• traps have been tagged with the operators registration number from Nature Scot clearly visible
• each spring, you have set and operated the trap(s) as detailed in your predator control plan
• you have maintained a diary of the activity undertaken, including the current location of traps and dates that traps are set, or unset
• you have submitted a report each year of the activity undertaken

For mammal and crow control:

• you have managed the same location and extent each year for the duration of your contract
• you have set and operated traps in the locations detailed in your predator control plan
• crow traps have been tagged with your registration number from NatureScot clearly visible
• you have maintained a diary of the activity undertaken, including the current location of traps, dates that they are set and unset, or removed and dates of any lamping work
• you have submitted a report each year of the activity undertaken

Supporting guidance is available for this option.

Section	Change
Application Requirements	Information added regarding wildlife trap licenses. Updated Predator Control Plan.
Management Requirements – Mammal and Crow Control	Snaring is banned in Scotland from 25th November 2024.

Previous versions of this page

Click 'Download this page' to create a printer-friendly version of this guidance that you can save or print out.