Grouse moor report shows industry out of control
A new field study into the impact of grouse moors on Scotland’s wildlife is shocking and shows an industry out of control, the Scottish Greens have said.
The study for the League Against Cruel Sports, carried out by an independent surveyor, tracked the scale, distribution and use of traps, snares, medicated grit and other techniques used on grouse moors and concluded that up to a quarter of a million animals are killed every year to maintain numbers of red grouse for recreational killing.
Commenting, Scottish Greens environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “This report is absolutely shocking and reveals an industry completely out of control. No amount of attempts to discredit it can hide the sheer scale of damage done to Scotland’s environment by this cruel hobby.
“This revelation comes after yet more reports of birds of prey vanishing or found killed around grouse moors, and an open season on mountain hares that should never have gone ahead. The Scottish Government has failed to act, and has sat on its response to the Werrity review since February. It’s time for ministers to come out of hiding and call time on this annual damage, killing, burning, and degradation of our landscape."