Is grouse hunting unethical?

The Labour Party has called for a review of grouse hunting amid growing concerns over the damage that the practice may cause to local ecosystems.

The four-month shooting season starts today - a day known as the Glorious Twelfth - prompting shooters to head to the UK’s 550,000 acres of grouse moor, mostly concentrated in Scotland and northern England, Sky News reports.

During a shoot, wild grouse are driven into the open by a line of beaters, the BBC says, while shooters stand poised to take aim as the birds fly into the air. The broadcaster suggests that the sport is both “economically important and popular in the shooting community”, but hunters continue to face criticism over the pastime.

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Labour claims there is “extensive evidence” that the practice severely damages ecosystems in the UK, with shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman adding that the “costs of grouse shooting on our environment and wildlife needs to be properly weighed up against the benefit of land owners profiting from shooting parties”.

But what are the issues with grouse hunting, and what does Labour propose?

Illegal hunting

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) believes that excessive deregulation has led to gamekeepers illegally killing birds of prey who naturally feed on grouse in order to keep numbers high for shooting parties.

According to experts, species such as hen harriers - which feed on grouse chicks - and mountain hares are often the targets of unauthorised culls, the BBC says.

Campaigners have “expressed concern over the disappearance of a number of birds of prey over grouse moors in recent months” and have also suggested that foxes and stoats are being killed to keep grouse numbers up, ITV News reports.

Environmental issues

The environmental impact of the hunting season on the UK’s 550,000 acres of grouse moor, which is drained and dried out and sometimes even burned to prepare it for shooting, is also a cause for concern.

The Scottish Green Party’s land reform spokesman Andy Wightman says there’s “nothing glorious” about the “intensive and damaging killing, burning, road construction and artificial medication that is associated with driven grouse shooting”.

The party also says, according to ITV News, that research shows “almost any other use of the land would be more economically active and provide more jobs” than the current shooting schedule.

“That these barren Victorian hunting grounds remain a playground for the privileged few is a stark reminder of the inequality that still persists over so much of Scotland’s countryside,” Wightman said.

What does Labour suggest?

The Labour Party believes that alternatives to current grouse shooting protocol should be considered and a government review should take place.

“There are viable alternatives to grouse shooting such as simulated shooting and wildlife tourism,” said Hayman. “The time has come for a proper review into the practice.”

But many keen hunters disagree. Duncan Thomas, from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said he believed any review would show the benefits of grouse shooting.

“Grouse moors are biodiverse and the shoots they support create vital employment in isolated rural areas supporting communities,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “Effective heather management including burning and cutting creates amazing habitat and of course reduces the fuel load and risk of wildfire.”

In response to the criticism, the Government said protecting the moorland environment was a “priority”. However, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said the Government has “no plans to undertake a review”.