The League Against Cruel Sports thinks that killing animals
for fun is repellent and repugnant.
We also believe that Scotland should lead
the way in recognising that it is a blight on our land.
Those that like killing
grouse say “It's good fun."
“It provides a boost to the rural economy.”
“It even improves species conservation and biodiversity.”
So the League: Scotland decided to take a closer
look at their claims. And here's what we found.
Over 1 million hectares of Scotland are privately
owned grouse moors.
Hundreds of birds are killed in a day yet most people
take away one brace to eat and the rest go to game dealers.
They say it’s good
for the economy.
It is true that grouse moors are owned by a few
wealthy individuals who make fortunes when they sell on.
But in 2012,
grouse shooting in Scotland provided less than 3000 jobs,
with an average salary of £11,401.
And grouse estates are eligible
for government subsidies.
Estates can get more than £300,000 per year,
money that could otherwise be available
for biodiversity projects.
They say it's good for the environment,
but more and more land is being
fenced off and roads built
to make life
easier for the shooters.
And annual burning of heather reduces biodiversity
and releases carbon into the atmosphere.
And when it gets out of hand,
the fire brigade need to be called in,
which costs us all money.
Medicines are spread
in the open moors to try
to reduce disease in grouse.
And illegal predator
control to "protect" the grouse
is now on an industrial scale.
The moors are covered
with snares and traps
that can horribly wound
and maim indiscriminately. Mountain hares, crows,
foxes, and stoats are mercilessly targeted
in order to artificially increase the number of grouse.
Sheep are used as tic mops
to attract tics
away from the grouse.
Around 6000 tonnes
of toxic lead is shot
into the air each
year across the UK.
This endangers the health of wildlife and the people
who eat it.
They say that grouse
moors are good for conservation
and biodiversity,
but illegal predator control endangers some birds of prey,
which no longer breed in the grouse moors.
As they are thought to spread
disease to grouse mountain hares
are also rigorously persecuted.
And while there are scientific
reports that say some other
ground nesting birds have more
chicks in managed grouse moors
than in other places,
this is only half the story because it is at
the expense of the predatory species like stoats,
weasels, and crows. What's more,
wildlife crime has been shown to severely reduce
the breeding range of golden eagles, hen harriers,
and peregrine falcons.
The league believes
that the increasing
intensification
of grouse moor management
has spiralled out of control.
All for the protection of one kind of bird
so that it can be shot for fun.
Where The League Against Cruel Sports would prefer to see the end
to shooting any animal for entertainment, at this time
when the government is taking a close look at the use of land
in Scotland - we are calling for:
The ending of government subsidies to grouse estates.
Burning heather should be further regulated.
Road building in moors should be subject
to the same planning permissions as any other road.
The use of snares should end.
Shooting of endangered mountain hares should stop.
The use of medicines on open moorland should be banned.
And we agree with the government that tax relief in grouse
moors should be removed and we welcome their attempts
to prioritise wildlife crime.
If you agree with us, please contact your member of the Scottish Parliament
and let them know what you think about
grouse shooting and its impact on Scottish land.
The league firmly believes that the so called management
of grouse moors for the purpose of needlessly killing birds
for entertainment has now become dangerously out of control.
We believe that it has grown
to an industrial scale
that damages huge swathes
of the Scottish
countryside and seemingly
attempts to eradicate any
perceived threat to the grouse
so that they can
be shot for fun.
At a time when Scotland
considers how it uses its
land for the benefit of all.
The league believes that we should also be
considering the benefits of the habitats, environment,
and biodiversity to the animals that occupy it.