FARMERS whose crops are destroyed by wild pigs have threatened to demand compensation worth tens of thousands of pounds if the government fails to cull the animals.
The feral animals, which have escaped or been released from wild boar farms, are growing in number - prompting claims the droves will become unmanageable unless action is taken.
Conservation body Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is currently studying the extent and impact of the animals and are due to issue a report to Holyrood.
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However, farmers claim that a compensation scheme would need to be set up should ministers decide to allow the pigs to carry on living in the wild.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said: “Our understanding is that no decision has been made. However, if it was decided to let wild boar roam free, it would be very difficult to grant this without introducing a compensation scheme, like they have in many other European countries where boar are allowed to free range.
“In the Forest of Dean in England, there is now an annual population growth rate of 300 per cent. It would be inconceivable that there would be no agricultural damage.
“It is already being witnessed in the north west of Scotland and, given the problems with controlling boar, this will only increase over time as the population expands.”
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The SNH report, which will be submitted in November, is examining clusters of wild boar in the Invergarry area of Lochaber and at a handful of sites in Dumfries and Galloway.
In June, officials for the body warned that if the government does not act quickly it will be impossible to eradicate them because their number will be too great to contain.
Perthshire wheat farmer John Bruce, who is also the Scottish chairman of the British Deer Society, claims that if the pigs are allowed to carry on roaming free, it will cause “chaos” for Scottish agriculture.
He said: “There are those who say pigs are marvellous for re-wilding the countryside and you get down to whether the government values farmers making use of the land in a manageable fashion or are they all for chaos, because they seem rather keen on chaos.”
He has highlighted compensation rates at other European countries where 10,000 euros per hectare can be achieved for grass being grown for hay.
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“That’s what it costs to re-establish a field of grass and suffer the loss for a year or two of a crop,” he said. “If the government allows any creature which has a nuisance factor to re-establish they should compensate and take responsibility for it.”
National Farmers Union of Scotland also said it was aware of the issue and has been involved in drawing up the report.
The farming union said it has concerns over the wild pigs breeding with domesticated animals, as well as the risk of disease spreading.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We look forward to receiving SNH’s report and will consider its findings and recommendations carefully.”
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