Don’t be a ‘wee, sleekit, cowrin, timrous beestie‘ stand up for the environment and be a man (or woman) for ‘A Man’s a Man for a’ that‘.
Burning of heather moorland for the pointless and destructive hobby of intensive grouse shooting is one type of Burns that we should not celebrate tonight.
Heather burning damages protected blanket bog habitats, increases flood risk (because burned water catchments shed water faster than those manged properly) and increases water treatment costs, pushing up our water bills.
Robert Burns would probably appreciate the fact that the Scottish Government is moving to study the economic consequences of grouse shooting but he wouldn’t be impressed by the idleness of Defra down in London.
Give Michael Gove a shove!
Please sign Les Wallace’s epetition for a proper economic study of grouse shooting and the burning mismanagement on which it depends – please sign this epetition.
Looks like it could pass the 8,000 milestone tonight.
Can one last push get it the much anticipated bog-standard cut & paste response from Government?
nimby – and it has passed 8000 signatures. We are painting Defra gradually into a corner on grouse shooting.
They are trapped. What do they have to put on the table to say that their faith in the economic value of driven grouse shooting is well founded? Absolutely zilch otherwise it would have been put up as evidence as soon as the petition went live by the grouse shooting lot themselves. The shooters own ‘economic’ reports are a joke, as I said in the guest blog only good for ‘comedy material or toilet paper’. If they do reluctantly agree to an economic review as Scotgov has done we can make sure at the very outset that it is isn’t slanted i.e happens to miss out the potential for tree planting and upland beavers to reduce flooding, that on its own is a killer issue for grouse moors I’m sure. The Revive coalition really hammered the guff from the estates about their value to local communities in the document they produced for its launch. J K Rowling doesn’t have the skills to write a believable fantasy document that will convince us driven grouse shooting is any better for rural communities than it is for hen harriers. Do the estates, like the RSPB, have a policy of giving preferential treatment to local contractors, or do they fly/drive in outside help as in fancy chefs and foods for their wealthy guests? I’ve heard they can bus in beaters from other areas rather than use locals. Money spent on a nice Purdie in London doesn’t really help a village school in North Yorkshire. If we get a useless platitude instead that just sets the stage for a second run of this petition with the aim of getting a parliamentary debate. Since there has been such a palaver getting to 10,000 (fingers crossed) with this one that might sound pie in the sky, but I’m positive with another (the right) petitioner and preparatory work it’s not that difficult, it’s the preparatory work that will be crucial – this petition in a way has been a part of that, a lot of useful info, insight and experience gained (just wish I’d had it at the bloody beginning!).
See the mystery disliker has visited, but they never seem to have much to say for themselves.