MPs debated grouse shooting in Westminster Hall on Monday 31st October, following an e-petition on the issue. We sent a brief to all MPs ahead of the debate - here are some highlights and you can download the full brief below.
Grouse moor management has played a key role in creating and maintaining our upland landscape, preserving and improving heather habitat and peatland, sustaining some of our rarest plants and wildlife, and promoting biodiversity.
Grouse shooting is already heavily regulated and controlled. There is extensive legislation in place that has an impact on almost every aspect of grouse shooting and grouse moor management, and licensing requirements are in place across many areas such as firearms possession and heather burning in environmentally sensitive areas. Any additional legislation, or licensing requirements, would need to be consistent, evidence-based and principled, recognising that further controls would add to the cost and bureaucracy of grouse moor management, without necessarily improving outcomes.
The theory and practice of modern gamekeeping is focused on conservation and a respect for biodiversity. Modern gamekeepers are increasingly expected, and often required, to undertake formal apprenticeships or college courses, gain practical qualifications, and attend best-practice courses.
For many upland communities, grouse shooting plays a pivotal role in the local economy, providing a valuable source of jobs and income for local businesses. It also underpins the social life of these communities and helps to tackle rural isolation.
Those calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting need to set out a viable, alternative vision for our uplands, considering that heather moorland in the UK is internationally important and it is widely recognised that grouse shooting has helped preserve it. The main alternative land uses to driven grouse shooting such as forestry, sheep farming, abandonment, 'eco-tourism', or 'walked-up' grouse shooting, would all have serious consequences for the future of our uplands as well as the communities in these areas.
Improvements in grouse moor management continue to be made on the basis of evidence and principle, and stakeholders working together.