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BASC leads the fight for driven grouse shooting ahead of debate
BASC is leading the fight for driven grouse shooting ahead of a parliamentary debate on calls to ban it.
A petition by Wild Justice to ban driven grouse shooting recently passed the 100,000-signature threshold. Consequently, it will be debated by MPs on Monday 30 June at Westminster Hall. To date, the government has said it has no plans to ban driven grouse shooting.
BASC is stepping up our campaign of action against the petition by urging MPs to attend the debate and providing a comprehensive brief, setting out the case for driven grouse shooting.
You can help BASC in the fight by doing the following:
- Contacting your local MP and asking them to attend the debate on 30 June. If you’re not sure of your MP’s contact information, you can find this here.
- Send a copy of BASC’s infographic, which summarises the environmental, economic and social benefits of grouse shooting to your MP along with your correspondence. Download a copy of this here.
- Let BASC know of any response you receive. Our political affairs team will use this information to brief MPs who have confirmed they will attend the debate. Get in touch by emailing our team here.
Benefits of grouse shooting
It is vital that MPs attending the debate are armed with the facts on driven grouse shooting, in order to share the diverse range of benefits it brings to the uplands and the wildlife which calls these landscapes home.
BASC head of uplands Alex Farrell said: “Grouse moors are teeming with life and are home to a diverse range of species. Their management protects some of the most important landscapes in the UK, with shooting estates making up 29 per cent of upland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Many of these sites were designated in the first place due to the habitats and species delivered by grouse moor management. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England follow a similar pattern. Some 74 per cent of these are located in the uplands and are managed as grouse moors.
“Grouse shooting provides critical economic benefits to marginal upland areas, helping communities survive. To ban grouse shooting would leave the uplands environmentally, economically and socially impoverished.”
BASC executive director of communications and public affairs, Christopher Graffius, added: “We look forward to seeing Labour MPs back their government by supporting sustainable grouse shooting conducted according to the law.”
MPs invited to see grouse moors
BASC’s work ahead of the debate goes on at pace in the background, briefing parliamentarians directly and continuing to invite them onto grouse moors. Visits such as this allow MPs to see first-hand the conservation benefits brought about by managing these iconic habitats for shooting.
In its response to the petition Defra said: “The Government considers that well-managed shooting activities can bring benefits to the rural economy and can be beneficial for wildlife and habitat conservation. We will continue work to ensure a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between shooting and conservation. The Government has no plans to ban grouse shooting.”
The full wording of the petition and government response can be found here.
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