The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Keeping and Release and Notification Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2012

Scottish Statutory Instruments

2012 No. 174

Wildlife

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Keeping and Release and Notification Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2012

Made

30th May 2012

Laid before the Scottish Parliament

31st May 2012

Coming into force

2nd July 2012

The Scottish Ministers make the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred on them by section 14(1)(a)(ii), (2D)(a) and (e), 14ZC(1)(a) and (2)(a), and 14B(1)(a), (2)(a), (b), (d) and (f) and (4)(a) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(1) and section 42(1) of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011(2), and all other powers enabling them to do so.

In accordance with section 26(4A) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(3), they have consulted Scottish Natural Heritage and any other person appearing to them to have an interest in the making of the Order.

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Keeping and Release and Notification Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2012, and comes into force on 2nd July 2012.

(2) In this Order, “the 1981 Act” means the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Prohibition on releasing certain animals

2.  The types of animals listed in column (1) (whose Latin name is listed in column (2)) of the table in Part 1 of Schedule 1 are specified for the purposes of section 14(1)(a)(ii) of the 1981 Act, to the extent mentioned in column (3) of that table.

Prohibition on keeping invasive animals

3.  The types of invasive animals listed column (1) (whose Latin name is listed in column (2)) of the table in Part 2 of Schedule 1 are specified for the purposes of section 14ZC(1)(a) of the 1981 Act.

Notification requirements in relation to the presence of invasive animals

4.  Where an occupier of land is, or becomes, aware of the presence of an invasive animal of a type listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1, that person must notify Scottish Natural Heritage without delay.

Revocation

5.  Subject to article 3 (savings) of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (Commencement No. 4, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Order 2012(4), the enactments listed in Schedule 2 are revoked.

STEWART STEVENSON

Authorised to sign by the Scottish Ministers

St Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

30th May 2012

Articles 2, 3 and 4

SCHEDULE 1

PART 1 Types of animals specified for the purposes of section 14(1)(a)(ii) of the 1981 Act (types of animal which it is an offence for a person to release or allow to escape from captivity)

Common name Column (1)	Latin name Column (2)	Extent Column (3)
Deer	All species of the genus Cervus	Outer Hebrides and the islands of Aaran (including Holy Island), Islay, Jura and Rum

PART 2 Types of invasive animals specified for the purposes of section 14ZC(1)(a) of the 1981 Act (types of animal which it is an offence for a person to keep, have in their possession or have under their control)

Common name Column (1)	Latin name Column (2)
Asp	Aspius aspius
Barbel	species of the genus Barbus (excluding Barbus barbus)
Bass (excluding sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax)	Micropterus salmoides; Micropterus dolomieu; Ambloplites rupestris; and species of the genus Morone
Bighead carp	Hypophthalmichthys nobilis
Blacknose dace	Rhinichthys atratulus
Blageon	Leuciscus souffia
Blue bream	Ballerus ballerus
Blue sucker	Cycleptus elongatus
Burbot	Lota lota
Catfish	species of the genera Ictalurus, Ameiurus and Silurus
Charr	species of the genus Salvelinus (excluding Salvelinus alpinus)
Chinese black or snail-eating carp	Mylopharyngodon piceus
Chinese sucker (also known as Zebra hi fin, banded shark/sucker)	Myxocyprinus asiaticus
Coho salmon	Oncorhynchus kisutch
Common white sucker	Catostomus commersoni
Coypu	Myocastor coypus
Crayfish	freshwater decapod crustacean of the Families Astacidae, Cambaridae or Parastacidae, (excluding Austropotamobius pallipes)
Danubian bleak	Chalcalburnus chalcoides
Danubian salmon & Taimen	species of the genus Hucho
Eastern mudminnow	Umbra pygmaea
European bitterling	Rhodeus sericeus
European mudminnow	Umbra krameri
Fathead minnow (or Roseyreds)	Pimephales promelas
Freshwater minnow, Dragon fish or Pale chub	Zacco platypus
Grass carp	Ctenopharyngodon idella
Grey squirrel	Sciurus carolinensis
Landlocked salmon	non anadromous varieties of the species Salmo salar
Marbled trout	Salmo marmoratus
Mink	Mustela vison
Muntjac	Species of genus Muntiacus
Muskrat	Ondatra zibethica
Nase	Chondrostoma nasus
Northern redbelly dace (common minnow)	Phoxinus/Chrosomus eos
Pacific salmon and trout	species of the genus Oncorhynchus (excluding Oncorhynchus mykiss and Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Paddlefish	species of the genera Polyodon and Psephurus
Perch	species of the genus Perca (excluding Perca fluviatilis)
Pike	species of the genus Esox (excluding Esox lucius)
Pikeperch	species of the genus Stizostedionlucioperca
Rabbit (excluding European rabbit)	Species of the genara Bunolagus, Brachylagus, Nesolagus, Pentalagus, Poelagus, Romerolagus and Sylvilagus
Red shiner	Cyprinella/Notropis lutrensis
Ruffe	Gymnocephalus cernuus
Schneider	Alburnoides bipunctatus
Silver carp	Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Snakehead	species of the genus Channa
Southern redbelly dace (common minnow)	Phoxinus/Chrosomus erythrogaster
Sturgeon or sterlet	species of the genera Acipenser, Huso, Pseudoscaphirhynchus and Scaphirhynchus
Sunbleak (Sundace), also known as Belica or Motherless minnow	Leucaspius delineatus
Sunfish, including pumpkinseed (also Basses, Crappies & Bluegills)	species of the genus Lepomis
Topmouth gudgeon	Pseudorasbora parva
Toxostome (or French nase)	Chondrostoma toxostoma
Vimba	Vimba vimba
Weatherfish	Misgurnus fossilis
Whitefish	species of the genus Coregonus (excluding Coregonus lavaretus and Coregonus albula)

PART 3 Types of invasive animals which require notification under article 4 of this Order

Common name Column (1)	Scientific name Column (2)
Coypu	Myocastor coypus
Muntjac	Species of genus Muntiacus
Muskrat	Ondatra zibethica
Rabbit (excluding European rabbit)	Species of the genara Bunolagus, Brachylagus, Nesolagus, Pentalagus, Poelagus, Romerolagus and Sylvilagus

NOTE: The common name or names given in Column (1) of the tables in Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this Schedule are included by way of guidance only; in the event of any dispute or proceedings, the common name or names shall not be taken into account.

Article 5

SCHEDULE 2 REVOCATIONS

Regulations revoked	Reference
The Musk Rats (Prohibition of Importation and Keeping) Order 1933	S.I. 1933/106
The Grey Squirrels (Prohibition of Importation and Keeping) Order 1937	S.I. 1937/478
The Non-Indigenous Rabbits (Prohibition of Importation and Keeping) Order 1954	S.I. 1954/927
The Mink (Keeping) Regulations 1975	S.I. 1975/2223
The Mink (Keeping) (Amendment) Regulations 1977	S.I. 1977/2122
The Mink (Keeping) (Amendment) Regulations 1979	S.I. 1979/1669
The Mink (Keeping) (Amendment) Regulations 1982	S.I. 1982/1883
The Coypus (Prohibition on Keeping) Order 1987	S.I. 1987/2195
The Mink (Keeping) (Amendment) Regulations 1987	S.I. 1987/2225
The Coypus (Special Licence) (Fees) Regulations 1997	S.I. 1997/2751
The Mink (Keeping) (Amendment) Regulations 1997	S.I. 1997/2750
The Mink Keeping (Scotland) Order 2000	S.S.I. 2000/400
The Mink Keeping (Scotland) Order 2003	S.S.I. 2003/528
The Prohibition of Keeping or Release of Live Fish (Specified Species) (Scotland) Order 2003	S.S.I. 2003/560
The Muntjac Keeping (Scotland) Regulations 2011	S.S.I. 2011/63
The Muntjac Keeping (Scotland) Order 2011	S.S.I. 2011/172

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order makes provision about the release of certain animals, the keeping of invasive animals and notification requirements in relation to the presence of invasive animals under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (“the 1981 Act”) as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011.

Section 14(1)(a)(ii) of the 1981 Act makes it an offence for any person to release, or allow to escape from captivity, any animal of a type specified by the Scottish Ministers by Order. Article 2 and Part 1 of Schedule 1 specifies the types of animals which it is an offence for a person to release or allow to escape from captivity and the extent to which the prohibition applies.

Section 14ZC(1)(a) of the 1981 Act makes it an offence for any person to keep, have in the person’s possession, or have under the person’s control any invasive animal of a type which the Scottish Ministers specify by Order. Article 3 and Part 2 of Schedule 1 specifies the types of invasive animals which it is an offence for a person to keep, have in their possession or have under their control.

Section 14B(1)(a) enables the Scottish Ministers to make provision about the notification of the presence of invasive animals at any specified place outwith their native range where persons are, or become, aware of the presence of such animals or plants. Article 4 and Part 3 of Schedule 1 make provision about notification and that such notification requires be made to Scottish Natural Heritage without delay.

Article 5 and Schedule 2 revoke the enactments governing the keeping and release of certain animals which this Order replaces, subject to article 3 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act 2011 (Commencement No. 4, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Order 2012 (S.S.I. 2012/175 (C. 16)).

(1)

1981 c.69. Sections 14(1) and (2D) and section 14B(1), (2) and (4) were substituted by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (asp 6) (“the 2011 Act), section 14(2) and (5) respectively; and section 14ZC was inserted by the 2011 Act, section 14(3).

(2)

2011 asp 6.

(3)

Section 26(4A) was inserted by section 17(6) of the 2011 Act.

(4)

S.S.I. 2012/175 (C. 16).