There’s not much to report but it’s an excuse to repost one of Gordon Yates’s wonderful images.
I met with our lawyers last week. We are still waiting to hear whether we have leave to appeal. We hope to hear, one way or another, by the end of July which isn’t far away, but even if we do our case will not appear in court until the autumn. If we don’t hear about whether we have got the green light by the end of July then it is likely to be October before we get any more news.
The legal system works quite slowly but since the time window for brood meddling for the summer of 2018 is now passed then it matters little.
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I never cease to marvel at this picture, simply stunning.
It makes it difficult to understand how these birds can be persecuted so ruthlessly but of course they are.
In discussion with a colleague over the weekend he made a very valid point (for which I can take no credit!) That should we not get a review or loose it then brood meddling gives the “Grouse lobby” the safety net they always said they needed to stop persecution. Thus it is now up to all the shooting organisations, Moorland Association and the Countryside Areliars to sell this wholesale to their membership and enforce it as the last chance it should be. There can be, even in their terms, no justification for continuing persecution during breeding or at any other time. If persecution continues at all then the whole plan is a failure and we should move towards a ban be that via licensing or not.