Ludicrous grouse shooting exemption must not apply in Scotland
The Scottish Government must resist calls for grouse shoots to be exempt from public health rules about gatherings of six people, the Scottish Greens have warned.
The Huffington Post has reported that Boris Johnson’s government will allow grouse shooting and other hunting groups to gather in groups of between 6 and 30 people, despite everyone else being restricted to six people maximum.
The loophole of an ‘organised activity that takes place outdoors’ also exists in Scotland’s emergency legislation, and the Scottish Greens have called on ministers to intervene.
Commenting, Scottish Green health spokesperson Alison Johnstone said: “This exemption is ludicrous. The restrictions on gatherings is a difficult but important public health measure to prevent spread of a deadly virus. Not for the first time, the UK Government has indicated that public health emergency rules don’t apply to their wealthy friends.
“This cannot be allowed to happen in Scotland. The tiny minority who derive pleasure from killing wildlife are not more important than the thousands who are being kept apart from seeing friends and family. Thirty people should not be able to gather to shoot grouse when thirty people cannot attend a wake for a lost loved one.
“The Scottish Government need to urgently clarify the Scottish rules so that this doesn’t happen.”