Maybe they will turn up to this one?

Mark 8 Comments

Conference: raptors, uplands and peatlands.

Sheffield 9 and 10 September

After the failure of the so-called leaders of the shooting community to argue their case and their cause at the Bird Fair they are sending out their seconds to this conference in Sheffield in a couple of weeks time.

See, hear and question Tim Baynes (Scottish Land and Estates), Adam Smith (GWCT Scotland) and Philip Merricks (Hawk and Owl Trust, who appears to think you are an eco-zealot).

Of great interest, the local MP, Angela Smith, Penistone and Stocksbridge (262 signatures supporting a ban on driven grouse shooting) will be setting the scene and opening the conference. What will this senior Labour Party MP say ahead of the expected debate on the future of driven grouse shooting?

See conference programme and online (or paper) booking details here.

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8 Replies to “Maybe they will turn up to this one?”

  2. To quote that wonderful eco-zealot / extremist also accused of being an animal rights activists, we are with him and we act within the law and “we’re conservationists and we’re using science and evidence to politely, reasonably request a positive change through democratic and peaceful means”. The momentum is growing ….

    Yep, looking forward to troll spotting, they’re sure to be present amidst the attendees but hiding rather than offering constructive contribution to a real solution on the podium where they ought to be?

    Will they be able to offer any contra evidence to Pat Thompson’s BOU paper?

    Perhaps NE, PM / H&OT & G[WC]T will be able to explain about the licensing and tender processes so they can take public funding for brood meddling?

    Bring it on, another public awareness session, more exposure to facts not fiction.

  3. Can’t make this one but it looks like an interesting and eclectic group of contributors. Hope there will be a good conference report afterwards.

  4. Today’s word: plugging

    The day ended on: 117,927

    Today’s signatures: 332

    The week so far
    20th: 679
    21st: 465
    22nd: 658
    23rd: 312
    24th: 660
    25th: 332
    Total for the week so far: 3106
    Daily average: 517.7
    Constituency average (end 25th): 181.4

    Of interest: I’ve been monitoring all constituencies that have passed 290 signatures for the last 12 days (now 52 constituencies in total). All are still adding signatures, with the highest 12 constituencies over the last 5 days being being;

    1. Brighton, Pavilion: 37/7.4 per day
    2. Sheffield Central: 18
    Derbyshire Dales: 18/3.6 per day
    Hove: 18
    5. Brighton, Kemptown: 15/3 per day
    6. Somerton and Frome: 14/2.8 per day
    Totnes: 14/2.8 per day
    8. Westmorland and Lonsdale: 12/2.4 per day
    York Central: 12
    Ribble Valley: 12
    South Cambridgeshire: 12
    Torridge and West Devon: 12

    So still a lot of room for expansion even in places where many people have already signed (I got 3 people to sign over dinner this evening, and I’m yet to have asked anyone who said no). The Parliamentary debate is now in the laps of the gods/Petitions Committee, but the weight of opinion is still ours to define.

  5. Interesting statement from the GWCT “The Environment Council harrier mediation process modelled how many harriers could settle and not affect land management2. Given a crude estimate of the area of suitable habitat3, a sustainable number could be 82 pairs of hen harriers in England.” and “50% of the suitable English habitat is found on grouse moors– so there could be up to 41 pairs on English grouse moors. ” http://www.gwct.org.uk/media/576615/Hen-harrier-fact-sheet-2016.pdf

    Somewhat different to the JNCC’s estimate of 323–340 pairs for England based on availability of suitable environment. http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/jncc441.pdf

    So why the discrepancy between the two? Which is the correct or/ most accurate prediction?

    1. Anthony B – they are not incompatible, they are doing different things.

      Note the use of the words ‘and not affect land management’ – that means, ‘and not affect grouse shooting profitability very much’. So the two statements are compatible. It’s just that grouse moor owners won’t even accept the 82 pairs – only half of which would live on grouse moors. So, in other words we could have 82 pairs of Hen Harrier in England with little impact on the profitability of grouse shooting, except we aren’t allowed them because criminals kill almost all of them.

      Thank you for pointing that out – I may use that in a blog later.

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