Shooting lobby confirm mass killing of mountain hares will go ahead next week
The shooting lobby has confirmed the mass killing of mountain hares on Scotland’s grouse moors will go ahead from August 1, despite the will of parliament to protect the declining species, which is native to Scotland.
In the recent wildlife bill, MSPs backed Scottish Green amendments to end the practice, but in a public statement, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation has said the open season will continue until the new laws come into effect.
Commenting, Alison Johnstone said: “With the shooting lobby promising to kill as many of these animals as possible on Scotland’s grouse moors, the silence from the Scottish Government on this is deafening.
“Despite there being no evidence whatsoever that the control of mountain hares has any impact on the number of grouse available to shoot, this is an industry determined to kill as many as they can. It’s time the Scottish Government looked at public opinion and the best available evidence, rather than bending over backwards to accommodate landed interests. The decision of the Scottish Parliament must be respected.”