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In an article for The Telegraph, Alan Cochrane argues that the Scottish licensing system for grouse shooting is "the first of what’s likely to be a salami-slicing operation... aimed, if the powerful anti-blood sports lobby gets its way, at ending all shooting throughout Britain."
"That, of course, will depend on what the new Labour government decides in Westminster, because the SNP’s licensing order applies only in Scotland. Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour has not yet shown its hand on the issue, although under Jeremy Corbyn it was considering a ban. But if licensing emerges as the party’s policy, the bird on your plate may become an even rare commodity.
"Although estates all over Scotland and the north of England have reported a staggering shortage of birds, this week the SNP government was keen to set the agenda for grouse moors. The result is that, without a proper bit of paper from the licensing authority, lairds could face up to five years in jail and unlimited fines. And that licence can be revoked if an estate is deemed guilty of killing a bird of prey, even though the number of many species is rising.
"There is already pressure to introduce licences for English grouse moors. It is the stated policy of the influential Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, with its 1.2 million members. Restricting grouse shooting also has a highly visible champion in Springwatch’s Chris Packham, the self-appointed “guardian” of Britain’s wild places. His petition to ban driven grouse shooting amassed more than one hundred thousand signatures.
"If the licensing of moors can be seen as the first stage in the campaign against field sports, further restrictions on heather burning that spell out when and where it can be done will follow, alongside similar measures to limit the use of traps and snares for controlling vermin, such as crows and foxes. The number of these creatures multiplies when they’re not controlled.
"I learnt this week of one estate where grouse numbers are well down because of the huge increase in foxes in a neighbouring estate where they’re not controlled. In short, you won’t see many grouse unless you kill foxes. But foxes are now everywhere in Britain. I even know of misguided souls who fed them in their garden … until they invaded their house.
"There is a battle for Britain’s countryside going on and it’s fair to say that this week’s licensing of Scottish grouse moors is what the anti-blood sports lobby reckon will eventually end grouse shooting. However, in a review of his time in government, Tony Blair said that he regretted the Hunting Act, which saw hundreds of thousands of supporters of fox hunting march through London in protest. He said he hadn’t realised how passionate its supporters had been.
"Will Sir Keir Starmer, that great-grandson of a gamekeeper, learn from Blair’s error and avoid turning the countryside against his new government over field sports? Perhaps. The minister responsible, Steve Reed, recently told a conference that Labour would not tell people who live and work in the countryside how to live their lives.
"Really? We shall see."
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