Countryfile last night

I didn’t watch Countryfile live last night as I was doing some work – but I caught up with it in the evening.  I thought Bob Elliot from the RSPB was great (as always) and I also thought that the edit was fair. It was filmed on 28 July at Geltsdale in Cumbria (and the…

Those awkward Hen Harriers

OK let’s get back to Hen Harriers.  Aren’t they lovely? Those who have been defending or promoting driven grouse shooting find Hen Harriers difficult to talk about.  It will be interesting to see how much utter tripe some MPs may come up with in the debate we expect to see over the future of driven…

The not-so-talented Viscount Ridley

Matt Ridley and I were friends a long time ago, but we haven’t seen each other for quite a while, and although I would gladly share a bottle of claret with Matt, we might start talking politics, climate change or grouse moors and that might spoil the mood.  I remember we had a very good…

League Against Cruel Sports press release

Parliamentary debate expected as surge in petition signatures to ban driven grouse shooting reaches magic 100,000 Support for a total ban on driven grouse shooting has rocketed with a key petition achieving the 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a debate in Parliament. As the grouse shooting season opens, support for the e-petition – set up…

Flock back to M&S, grouse over

M&S will not stock grouse meat this year. Phew! I’ve been missing shopping in M&S. I may buy a bottle of their champagne to celebrate. In a statement posted on their corporate blog M&S say that they will not stock grouse because there aren’t enough of them on the estate which they intend to use…

Look in to the Mirror

I can go for weeks at a time without remembering that the Daily Miror still exists – but it has done us proud this week. Yesterday there was this piece on grouse shooting. Today there was this authored by Chris Packham. Doesn’t he look so out of date with that placard with the number 73,316…

Even the Telegraph…

Just look at the tone and content of this piece in the Daily Telegraph – it’s not exactly like previous years is it?  We did that. No really – it was us. Sign up to ban driven grouse shooting – what day could be a better one than the Inglorious 12th – and help us…

Why driven grouse shooting is doomed

I’m quite often asked whether I really want a ban on driven grouse shooting – I do! And then I’m sometimes told that ‘It’ll never happen’ and I say ‘It will’. This is why. Let’s start with the very obvious, but rarely stated, fact that driven grouse shooting is not essential. We don’t need it….

Golden Eagles disappear too – mostly over grouse moors

RSPB press release: RSPB Scotland has issued an appeal for information following the disappearance of another young golden eagle, the eighth of this species to vanish in the same area in less than five years. The young female golden eagle, named Brodie, hatched two years ago and was fitted with a satellite transmitter shortly before…

Press release from Hebden Bridge

Press release about Hebden Bridge protests on Friday and Saturday:   STARTS Hebden Bridge people will gather in St Georges Square at 9am on 12th and 13th August to protest the not-so-glorious 12th August, traditionally the start of the grouse shooting season. It is widely accepted that mismanagement of the Walshaw Moor blanket bogs for…