Don't ignore sporting rights valuation, owners warned

Shooting rights now come with a rateable value. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

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Despite the complicated nature of the forms, farmers and other landowners who have been contacted by regional valuation boards about shooting rights and rates have been urged not to ignore them '“ and to provide as much information as possible to the authorities.

Under this year’s Land Reform Act, non-domestic rates on shooting and deer forests are due to be re-introduced next April and assessors have been contacting farms and estates around the country to gather information on who owns and exercises shooting rights.

The reintroduction of these rates – last collected in 1995 – was strongly opposed by both NFU Scotland and Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) amongst others during the progress of the act.