Defra maintains destructive ambiguity

You may remember that the Defra response to Gavin Gamble’s e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting referred in an alarming way to control of problem species. I asked Defra what they meant and have only just (yesterday) received a response. Here it is: Dear Dr Avery, Thank you for your email of 27 November about…

RSPB members signing up for licensing

The RSPB has used its campaign email to encourage signatures for Ed Hutchings’s e-petition in favour of licensing of grouse shooting.  This is good to see. This has pushed the signature total over 4000 so it’s heading upwards at a reasonable pace and looks set to double its numbers of yesterday morning by close of…

We are 11,400 ahead

Here is an update on three e-petitions about grouse shooting: Gavin Gamble’s e-petition in favour of banning driven grouse shooting – c26,115 signatures Jane Griggs’s e-petition supporting grouse shooting – c14,714 signatures Ed Hutchings’s e-petition in favour of licensing grouse shooting – c2,390 signatures Last week saw the ‘Gamble-ban’ e-petition adding another 570 signatures and…

Brood meddling in the Guardian

Patrick Barkham in the Guardian: Conservationists say government scheme, aimed at placating grouse moor land owners who object to the birds breeding on their land, will not boost numbers of the endangered birds. There’s a good quote from the RSPB but we are all wondering what the RSPB will actually do now. There’s a very…