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Huge parts of Scotland given to grouse shooting - most of us never eat it

This news post is about 5 years old
 

A fifth of Scotland’s land mass is given over to grouse moors - but 80% of us never eat it

Most Scots never eat any grouse – yet vast tracts of the country are given over to the slaughter of the game birds.

A civil society collective says there is a huge disparity between how much is consumed, the resources allocated to grouse shooting and its impacts

The Revive coalition says it has conducted research which shows that just 0.25% of the population, which is one in 400 adults in Scotland, regularly eat grouse more than once or twice a year, while 80% say they never eat it.

Despite this, almost a fifth of Scotland’s land mass is given over to grouse moors, on which hundreds and thousands of birds are shot over the four month shooting season from August to December.

Revive coalition, which includes OneKind, Friends of the Earth Scotland, League Against Cruel Sports, Raptor Persecution UK and Common Weal, is campaigning for grouse moor reform, encouraging a national dialogue about how Scotland’s moors should be utilised.

It believes that a fresh look at how this land is used could be better for Scotland’s economy, its people, its environment and its fauna.

Studies have linked the management of grouse moors and wildlife crime.

Revive campaigner Max Wiszniewski said: “The Revive coalition was formed by like-minded organisations concerned that almost a fifth of Scotland is used for grouse shooting. To now have the evidence that so few Scots actually eat grouse, despite such a disproportionate area of Scotland being used for the sport is appalling.”

The Countryside Alliance, which represents shooting interests, is running a campaign called Game To Eat, which stats that grouse is “much sought after” and a “delicacy for all Brits to be proud of”.

It says the campaign “continues to sustain the demand, and encourage even more people to try and enjoy this delicious and nutritious food.”

However, Wiszniewski responded: “These figures simply add fuel to our campaign, making us more determined to reform Scotland’s grouse moors to benefit our communities, our environment and our wildlife rather than being wasted for the entertainment of a very small minority.”

 

Comments

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Lok Yue
about 5 years ago
What are the Revive Coalition intending to do with the moors and the people they put out of work?
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Biz
about 5 years ago
most most? where's all these extra mosts coming from?
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Biz
about 5 years ago
most most?
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Robert McIntosh
about 5 years ago
Very much the grouse moors are a bad hangover from Victorian times when the landed gentry and their chums would take a trip up north to Scotland for a jolly spot of shooting. Nowadays it is still mainly the same with the UK Gov happily handing massive tax breaks to their millionaire absent landlords for kindly maintaining the grouse moors for the over privileged. As for jobs, a fraction of the money given to the millionaires in tax breaks would allow far greater employment opportunities to be created for all with no requirement to tug a forelock to keep your job.
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Lok Yue
about 5 years ago
So that would be a 'dont know' answer, Mr. McIntosh. Always fun to see a class warrior trot out the usual cliches. Two further questions: what would these 'far greater employment opportunities' be? and secondly, have you ever spoken to a gamekeeper and asked his or her opinion as to whether he or she wanted to be retrenched?
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