Shooting Times & Country – 21 August 2019

Theoppositionpartyrepeats debunkedclaimsandmisinformationto

callfora review,sayingthe drivensportcauses‘substantial damage’

T

heLabourpartyhas

calledfora review

ofdrivengrouse

shooting.Ina press

releasetimedtocoincidewith

theopeningofthegrouse

shootingseason,theparty

saidit was“callingforthe

reviewinlightofextensive

evidencethatdrivengrouse

shootingcausessubstantial

environmentaldamage”.

Thereleasewentontomake

a seriesofinaccurateclaims,

includingthatmoorswere

drainedannuallytoprepare

themforshooting,thatculling

mountainhareswasillegaland

thatmuirburnincreasestherisk

ofwildfire.Infact,grousemoors

haveblockedthousandsof

kilometresofdrainsinthepast 10

years,mountainharesarelegally

managedundertheprovisionsof

the Wildlife and Countryside Act

andcontrolledburningreduced

theriskofseverewildfire.

Thepartyalsorepeatedthe

misleadingclaimthat“the 10

largestEnglishgrousemoors

arepaidmorethan£3million

infarmsubsidieseveryyear”.

Grouseshootingis noteligible

forsubsidiesundertheCommon

AgriculturalPolicyandthe

subsidiespaidtotheestates

arefortheiragriculturaland

environmentalactivities.

BASCandtheCountryside

Alliancedismissedtheclaims.

BASCpointedoutthat“moors

weredrainedwithgovernment

money in the 1970s but have been

progressivelyre-wetted,with

drainsbeingblocked for the past

twodecades.”

AdrianBlackmore,the

CountrysideAlliance’sdirector

ofshooting,said:“Itis quite

extraordinarythat,inthepresent

politicalturmoilandwithallthe

seriousenvironmentalissues

facingtheworld,theLabour

Partyhaschosentolaunch

a thinlyveiledpoliticalattack

ongrouseshooting.”

A spokesmanforDefra—

whichwouldberequiredto

implementthereview—said:

“Shootingactivitiesbringmany

benefits to the rural economy and

theenvironment,inparticularfor
wildlifeandhabitatconservation.
“Weknowmanypeoplehave
stronglyheldviewsongrouse
shooting.Wecontinuetosupport
shooting,recognisingit is vital
thatwildlifeandhabitatsare
respectedandprotectedandwe
ensurea sustainable,mutually
beneficialrelationshipbetween
shootingandconservation.”
SueHaymanMP,Labour’s
shadowenvironmentandrural
affairssecretary,suggestedthat
thesportcouldbereplacedwith
wildlifetourismandsimulated
grouseshooting.Inwhat
appearedtomakeit clearthatthe
reviewhadmoretodowithpolitics
thantheenvironment,sheadded:
“FortoolongtheTorieshavebent
thekneetolandownersandit’s
ourenvironmentandour people
who pay the price.”
A. HOOK / G. GUNN / ALAMY Matt Cross

Labour’sshadowenvironmentsecretary

says“fortoolongtheTorieshave bent

the knee to landowners”

“Withalltheenvironmental

issuesfacingtheworld,Labour

chose to attack grouse shooting”

Grouse shooting damages

environment, says Labour

6 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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