Fighting for the facts on grouse shooting

The latest anti-shooting salvo is a petition launched last month by Wild Justice calling on the Government to “ban driven grouse shooting”. It was created by Chris Packham and co-signed by fellow directors Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery. 

I am surprised that the petition was approved to go live on the government petitions website given that the rules preclude petitions that are “nonsense or a joke”. Not only is the wording of it almost identical to a 2019 Wild Justice petition that was debated in Westminster in 2021, but the concluding statement during that debate was that “there is clearly not support in this House for the petition”. 

Furthermore, there was a lack of support from MPs in a Westminster debate on a similar 2016 petition initiated by Mark Avery, three years before the birth of Wild Justice. And here we are again for a third time with calls to ban grouse shooting based on the same old nonsense that “grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife”. 

Hollow rhetoric 

These are difficult times for rural communities, and Wild Justice is playing politics and consuming yet more valuable parliamentary time trying to ban things its directors do not like. Perhaps the petitioners believe they will get a more favourable outcome using the same hollow rhetoric with a new Government and many newly elected MPs? 

They might be right, and this is where you can prove them wrong. BASC has emailed its 150,000 members with a call to action, and everyone who supports sustainable shooting can support this fight for the facts on grouse shooting. 

First, something we can all do is to email our MP and tell them about the benefits of grouse shooting for people, the environment and wildlife. Secondly, if you manage land on or near a grouse moor, or your business benefits from grouse shooting, please inform and invite your MP so they can see the facts for themselves. 

Whatever you do, don’t leave it to others to fight the shooting community’s battles for you — perhaps use some of the following facts when contacting your MP. 

Conservation success: grouse moors managed by gamekeepers support up to five times more threatened wading birds compared with unmanaged landscapes. 

Heather moorland conservation: heather moorland is rarer than rainforest, with the vast majority of this globally important habitat found in the UK, thanks to grouse moor management. 

Zero tolerance for wildlife crime: BASC has a zero-tolerance policy on the illegal killing of birds of prey, with those convicted of breaking the law being expelled. 

Hen harrier conservation: last year (2023) was another record year for the number of hen harrier chicks fledged in England. BASC funding and cooperation between moors and conservationists helped 141 chicks to fledge, an increase on the previous breeding season for the seventh year in a row. 

Economic importance: the grouse shooting sector employs around 2,500 people across England and Scotland, providing essential stability for fragile upland communities. 

Carbon storage and land management: managed grouse moors help preserve the UK’s largest carbon store — peatlands — through careful heather management, rewetting initiatives and drain-blocking efforts. This boosts the resilience of these landscapes against wildfires. 

National treasure: more than 90% of managed grouse moors are located in National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) across the UK, making them vital to preserving the UK’s most protected landscapes. 

Keyboard warriors 

Based on past form, it is likely the petition will get the 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a Westminster debate. There is no shortage of keyboard warriors who will act on the Wild Justice dog whistle. 

However, we can look at the Westminster debate ahead as an opportunity to give MPs the facts on grouse shooting. Our success in winning that debate for the third time in a row depends yet again on BASC and those of you who are willing to support the cause. BASC is leading the way on this challenge and many other key issues for shooting.