Scottish Parliament Set to Rule on Wild Goat Petition
The Scottish Parliament Citizens Participation and Public Petitions Committee has announced that it will sit for its second, and perhaps final, hearing of the petition to grant protected status to the wild goats of Langholm and Newcastleton Hills on 11th February. This will be the culmination of almost a year of campaigning for a better deal for the wild goats that are being culled to make way for rewilding.
A local petition was first established on 24th February 2025 in the face of a cull of 85% of a population of wild goats on Oxygen Conservation`s 11,500 acres estate, previously Hartsgarth and Blackburn hill farms, in the Scottish Borders. This cull was started to reduce the goat numbers to 20 because the new owners were developing plans to plant trees on what had previously been two hill sheep and cattle farms.
The scale of the cull of the wild goats and the fact that it started right in the middle of wild goat kidding season set off outrage amongst local people in the settlements of Langholm and Newcastleton. Opposition continued to build and The Wild Goat Conservation Trust was formed in response.
Kenneth Moffatt, a local silversmith, lobbied the Scottish Parliament to establish a public petition to grant protected status to the goats so that their future may be safeguarded. The Scottish Parliament accepted Mr Moffatt`s petition on 25th March last year. That petition has gathered real momentum and with approaching 22,000 signatures, it is currently the largest petition on a wildlife conservation issue to have received its first hearing in Holyrood.
David Braithwaite, Chairman of The Wild Goat Conservation Trust is extremely disappointed that the Scottish Government remains dogmatically wedded to the mantra that wild goats are non-native and cannot therefore be protected. He said “We fully appreciate that finding the way to make this work is not easy, but politicians are put into power to make difficult things that are so clearly in the public interest happen. They must find a way, otherwise the whole public petitions exercise is hollow and meaningless.”
The population of wild goats that roam over 30,000 acres of windswept moorland between Langholm and Newcastleton in the South of Scotland, are clearly loved by both local people and those from further afield, generating wildlife tourism. The herd is known to have been running wild in these hills for centuries, some think even longer.
Gail Brown, Vice Chair and Secretary of the Trust said “There are some people who are asking what all the fuss is about, the goats have always been there, have always been subject to some control and have always survived. Well yes; but things have changed significantly, not only has the land ownership changed but the land management is undergoing a complete rethink. Trees and wind turbines are replacing Curlews, Peewits and grouse. The current mindset is that goats are the curse of the moor and are to be punished. We are wanting to call time on the rewilding, Net Zero mania and have an honest discussion about what we are losing.”
Mrs Brown added “We are not asking for the herd not to be managed, that would be madness, but through protected status the future management of these goats will be regulated under the scrutiny of an appropriate body. It is out of necessity that we have been driven to support the call for the protection of these revered and charismatic animals. We are adamant that we shall not lose them.”
At the first hearing of the petition in Holyrood on 10th September 2025, the committee Convenor, Jackson Carlaw MSP, criticised what he called the dead hand of NatureScot for its lack of proactive involvement in the issue. Deputy Convenor David Torrence MSP recalled walks at Grey Mare`s Tail and the enrichment the sight of wild goats brought to that enjoyable experience. Committee member Fergus Ewing MSP (Inverness and Nairn) reflected on Scotland`s largest wildfire that had raged in the hills of his constituency in the summer of 2025. Management neglect of uplands is leading to excessive fuel loads and the real risk of fire and a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere he concluded and asked that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) be called upon to make comment.
In its written submission to the petition committee on 21st November, the SFRS said “In principle SFRS encourages biomass control methods utilised by landowners that actively contribute to wildfire prevention or reduction. SFRS acknowledges that goat grazing, whether by prescribed grazing or wild, can contribute towards active wildfire control through reducing fuel load, breaking up continuous fuel and decreasing fire intensity and is both a cost effective and eco-friendly option.”