Dear Therese Coffey
Driven grouse shooting depends on intensive moorland management – which has intensified in recent years see here and here). The primary management actions involve burning of heather, drainage and burning of blanket bogs, culling of native predators and medicating the Red Grouse to combat the impacts of parasites and diseases.
These impacts must be taken into account when considering the sustainability of driven grouse shooting as an activity.
You are probably already aware of the evidence on the following issues so these few links (there could be a lot more) are just to jog your memory.
Flood risk: EMBER study, follow-on study from EMBER, bespoke modelling of flood risk at Hebden Bridge.
Water treatment: EMBER study, York University, Committee on Climate Change.
Greenhouse gas emissions: Climate Change Committee report, Climate Change Committee evidence to Environmental Audit Committee.
There aren’t many hobbies that increase greenhouse gas emissions through damaging land use practices, increase water treatment costs and increase flood risk and therefore insurance bills but driven grouse shooting is one of them. Can you think of many others?
Driven grouse shooting is not just a silly hobby – it’s an environmentally damaging silly hobby.
Dr Mark Avery
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