Our e-petition passed 21,500 signatures yesterday, with two weeks to go (and after less than 10 months).
The e-petition is on the Westminster government website which means that it has political clout. Already it is one of the most successful e-petitions ever – being in the top 0.5% of all e-petitions on this site. The e-petition applies to England, but any UK citizen is entitled to sign it.
Driven grouse shooting, where lines of beaters chase the Red Grouse across the hills to fly past lines of ‘guns’ who pay large amounts of money to shoot at them, is the source of wildlife crime (killing of birds of prey), damaged wildlife sites (burning of blanket bogs), increased carbon emissions (from heather burning and soil erosion), increased water bills (through water discolouration requiring water treatment) and increased home insurance (through increased flood risk caused by land management in the hills). It is of trivial economic value to the economy but your taxes are helping to subsidise this field sport. We’d be better off without it.
All attempts to negotiate a more sustainable future with grouse shooting interests have failed through their intransigence. The only way forward for the wildlife enthusiast, the taxpayer and the many, is to ban this unsustainable practice of the few.
This e-petition has already sent a message to grouse shooters that they need to change and to politicians that they need to act. Your signature will help strengthen that message.
I am grateful to Chris Packham, the Green Party of England and Wales, Birdwatch magazine, the League Against Cruel Sports, Rare Bird Alert and a host of raptor workers and wildlife enthusiasts for their support in getting this e-petition so far. One last push and surge of signatures before the 30 March will strengthen that message.
But it’s up to you!
Please sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting.
Thank you for your help
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Already signed and so hoping others will follow. Please everyone Hen Harriers need your help with this e-petition!
Peter – thank you!
Posted the comment below on the Save the Free Beavers of the Tay facebook page – even anglers should be signing this epetition.
BEAVERS NOT MUIRBURN!
Strange that the Angling Trust and Tweed Foundation seem to have been strangely quiet about the a report from Leeds University (EMBER – water@leeds) which indicates maintaining moors for driven grouse shooting especially burning heather via muirburn doesn’t do streams any good. It increases sedimentation, which will harm salmon and trout redds, ph is increased, spate conditions may be exacerbated, and aquatic invertebrates decrease too. So a certain segment of the angling and land owning sector has went to pathetic and ludicrous lengths to whip up fear about the possible spread of beaver and yet totally ignored something which definitely is not good for rivers, streams and their wildlife – plus the angling industry itself! Angling is being let down by the very people who are supposed to be representing it, I suppose that politically it’s easier for them to attack a conservation initiative than another field sport. I have taken the liberty of adding a link to an epetition to ban driven grouse shooting in England which I feel is important in making a point. Driven grouse shooting will not be a friend to beavers either as they don’t like having any trees and far worse SCRUB on their moors.