There was a piece in yesterday’s Sunday Herald where Rob Edwards asked M&S whether they would answer any of the questions that we have been asking them – and they wouldn’t. M&S are getting it so, so, so wrong. If you started believing that they couldn’t be doing anything wrong in selling grouse meat you would now believe that M&S must have something very dodgy that they are hiding because they aren’t answering questions and they aren’t coming clean.
Chris Packham told the Sunday Herald that he doubted whether any driven grouse moors could prove that they were environmentally sustainable, ‘The public no longer believe that these places are being suitably or sustainably managed,’ he said, adding, ‘There’s no more hiding it. So something has to stop … and because we care, we are going to do something about it. Crime is crime and in the end criminals get their come-uppance.’ which was presumably a reference to wildlife crime against raptors and other protected wildlife on grouse moors and the fact that Chirs supports the petition to ban driven grouse shooting.
There are signs that M&S are having second thoughts though – and so they should. As the Sunday Herald piece says ‘Questioned repeatedly, an M&S spokeswoman declined to say whether or not it would be selling grouse. She also refused to name the estate with which the company is having discussions, or to provide a copy of its codes of practice.‘.
The interesting thing about that is the reluctance of M&S to say that they will, or that they intend to, sell grouse this year. They may be thinking again and that would be very wise.
Responses from the office of the CEO of M&S are now saying ‘As explained by my colleague, we haven’t yet committed to supplying this product just yet. Due to this, I hope you can appreciate that I can’t go into any further detail or answer any specific questions you may have.’. Well, if that isn’t a sign of wavering, then what is?
It’s either a sign of having second thoughts or perhaps caused by not really having had any first thoughts before embarking on this customer-losing project.
M&S must be wondering what it does for their brand that the first reaction of the shooting community after Chris’s video appeared was to call for the BBC to give him a damn good hiding! The shooters went straight for the man and didn’t make any pretence about playing the ball. It is from this community that M&S presumably got their self-styled ‘industry-leading’ Code of Practice which nobody else has seen and which the RSPB disavowed. Who looks like the typical M&S customer: Chris Packham and the RSPB or a bunch of angry and rude shooters trying to get someone removed from their job for speaking out on an environmental issue? On which side would your customers like to see you, M&S?
If any more evidence were needed then look again at the video which Chris made (below) and then look at the comments below it. There is a torrent of abuse and bad language (and bad spelling too) from those on M&S’s ‘side’. What is cuddling up to the shooting industry doing to your brand M&S?
Let’s put it this starkly; M&S you have failed even to attempt to defend your plans to sell grouse meat and those who are defending it for you appear to be a rather nasty bunch of people. You should dump grouse meat now – it’s a toxic subject for you.
![NotsoGlorious-2[3]](https://markavery.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NotsoGlorious-23.png)
Misinformed and Shooters.
“The shooters went straight for the man and didn’t make any pretence about playing the ball. ”
That seems to be their only tactic. I have noticed (and I am sure you have too Mark) from the responses I have seen on social media over the last year or so – you, Chris and other commenters present the facts, the scientific evidence, the ecology, the true numbers; and the only come-back from the shooting fraternity is ad-hominem attacks. Surely a good sign that we are winning the battle!
I’m currently wading through spectacularly obtuse replies from M&S but the details so far are that Yorkshire Game
http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/plan-a-2015/game.pdf
http://yorkshiregame.co.uk/
are there sole supplier who source from 27 unnamed estates.
I have asked whether they thought protesters in yellow or white ‘hazmat’ suits would best reflect the ‘Spirit of Summer’. Nothing specific from them yet, but I’m easy either way really.
http://previews.123rf.com/images/stevemc/stevemc1103/stevemc110300010/9214991-Man-in-protective-clothing-and-a-gasmask-on-a-white-background-Stock-Photo.jpg
http://images.wisegeek.com/hazmat-suit.jpg
As M&S aren’t being very forthcoming, what do we know about Yorkshire Game’s supply chain?
Yorkshire Game aren’t being very specific; http://yorkshiregame.co.uk/sourcing/
but rest assured;
‘Supported by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), we conduct biodiversity audits to manage the impact of wild game populations’.
Which takes us back to M&S’s ‘if there are enough to shoot, then that’s all fine’ arguement.
Thanks for pointing out the Youtube comments Mark. I don’t usually bother but after you highlighted them I felt the need to look. Not sure if there is a direct correlation but if the standard of English is anything to go by quite a few of the Chris Packham-haters have consumed very high lead levels.
The response I got back from the mail I sent them, presumably the standard.
Hi Mike
Thanks for your recent email. I appreciate you’re clearly very passionate about this topic, so I would like to share with you the work we’ve been involved in.
Last year we worked with independent industry experts and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust to introduce the industry’s first ‘Codes of Practice’ to ensure all our game, including grouse, is sourced to the highest standards of game rearing and moorland management.
In accordance with this, we are currently working with our supplier to monitor numbers for this year’s season and will only stock grouse if the numbers are strong enough.
I hope that given the fact we haven’t committed to selling this product just yet, you can appreciate I can’t answer any of your specific questions. That being said, all M&S game products, and this would include Red Grouse if we took the decision to stock it, are hand inspected to minimise risk of excessive shot and any risk to our customers.
We have recently updated our online blog about grouse. For further information please see the below link: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/blog/stories/responsibly-sourced-game-at-mands
Thank you again for contacting us with your views. I hope my email has given you some assurance on how seriously we are taking this matter.
Kind regards
Simon Hoskins
Executive Office
Your M&S Customer Service
I had that one too (sigh….)
What do I have to do to get through to M&S…??? In my first missive I pointed out that focus on having sufficient grouse numbers to provide a “sustainable” supply was missing the point entirely. Back came the response re-affirming that grouse would only be sold if it was available in sufficient numbers. I don’t think they read my message beyond the first line.
I tried again (doing my best to remain diplomatic) and got another assurance that grouse wouldn’t be sold if there weren’t enough of them – in other words “talk to the hand”. My queries about the nature of the “code of practice” and about reconciling an environmentally disastrous land use with their “Plan A” apparently went over their heads.
JBNTS – well done for trying! M&S don’t give the impression that they are listening at all do they? Why would one buy from them when they are acting in such a way?
Whey don’t they take all the dead animals from the moors (grouse, hares, predators etc) and grind them up into pellets to feed pheasants with. I am really surprised that GW comedy T don’t do this already, I would have thought this kind of thinking was standard practice for intensive management techniques. The future perhaps, blimey it would save worming the pheasants too.