Our Evidence-Based Response to the Yorkshire Bylines Article "Parliament Debates a Ban on Driven Grouse Shooting"

The recent Westminster Hall debate on driven grouse shooting, sparked by a petition from Wild Justice, has once again brought the management of our cherished uplands into the public spotlight.

A recent article by Verity Healey in Yorkshire Bylines on this topic, titled "Parliament debates a ban on driven grouse shooting," presented a number of assertions that deserve a factual, evidence-based response.

The Moorland Association is committed to promoting sustainable, legal, and scientifically informed land management. We believe that open, respectful dialogue, grounded in verifiable data, is crucial for the future of our uplands and the communities who live and work within them.

This blog post aims to correct some of the misconceptions presented in the article and to highlight the vital conservation work undertaken on our nation's grouse moors.

Countering Misconceptions with Factual Evidence

The article raises several key points of concern for the Moorland Association, which we will address in turn. These claims, from the environmental impact of management practices to economic contributions and the success of alternative land management models, require a closer look at the available evidence.

1. The Management of Heather and Peatlands

The article claims that "moorland is burned and drained on grouse shooting estates by gamekeepers to provide a heather monoculture for the grouse," which in turn "contributes to flood risk and damage to carbon stores." This is a significant oversimplification of a complex and highly regulated practice.

Controlled burning, or "muirburn," is a traditional land management tool, but it is not about creating a monoculture. Instead, it is a mosaic of small-scale burning on a long rotation, creating a patchwork of different heather ages. This provides diverse habitat for a range of species.

The young, tender shoots provide food for grouse and sheep, while the older, taller heather offers shelter for nesting birds and small mammals. This practice is also a crucial tool for wildfire prevention. The government’s own wildfire prevention strategies acknowledge the importance of managing combustible vegetation.

By removing old, dense fuel loads in a controlled manner during the cooler, wetter months, gamekeepers significantly reduce the risk and intensity of far larger, uncontrolled wildfires that can be devastating to habitats, wildlife, and surrounding communities, as we continue to see.

Studies have shown that controlled burning can be a carbon-neutral management technique, as the carbon released from the shrub canopy was only recently absorbed by growing plants.

Research also shows that controlled burning can increase carbon storage in the soil by creating charcoal (biochar). This is highly resistant to decomposition and promotes strong plant regrowth, resulting in larger carbon gains.

The claim of moorland drainage is also outdated. For decades, a significant amount of work on grouse moors has focused on peatland restoration, which involves blocking old drainage ditches (known as "grips") to re-wet the land. Moorland managers have actively re-wet over 7,000 km of historic drainage channels to restore peatlands and mitigate flooding downstream.

2. Predator Control and Wildlife Crime

The article reiterates the widely held view that raptors are illegally killed on grouse moors. The Moorland Association has always maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards wildlife crime. It is illegal, indefensible, and undermines the vital conservation work that the vast majority of our members undertake. Those who commit such crimes should face the full force of the law.

Collaborative conservation efforts have resulted in a significant increase of 1,150% in hen harrier numbers in England between 2016 and 2023, with 80% of successful hen harrier nests found on driven grouse moors.

The article fails to acknowledge the distinction between illegal raptor persecution and the legal and necessary practice of predator control. The latter involves the humane and targeted control of generalist predators like foxes, stoats, and crows.

This is not for “sport” but is a crucial management tool, as validated by peer-reviewed science, for protecting a wide range of vulnerable ground-nesting birds, including endangered wader species.

A landmark study, the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project, and subsequent independent research have demonstrated the clear link between managed predator control and the breeding success of waders like curlew, lapwing, and golden plover.

A study on a northern English moorland, for instance, showed a three-fold increase in the breeding success of these species where predator control was implemented. This is a powerful and scientifically proven conservation outcome.

The article’s suggestion that gamekeepers are not working to prevent raptor crime is also refuted by the fact that many grouse moors are actively involved in schemes like the Hen Harrier Task Force, which works to build collaborative solutions and monitor these magnificent birds.

3. Economic Contributions and Rural Livelihoods

The article dismisses the economic contribution of grouse shooting, suggesting figures are hard to verify and that wages are poor. However, independent economic studies provide a different picture.

Reports have quantified the value of shooting sports as contributing billions of pounds in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy and supporting thousands of full-time equivalent jobs. While the value of grouse shooting specifically is a portion of this, it is highly concentrated in some of the most remote and economically fragile rural areas.

The jobs mentioned in the article, such as for beaters and loaders, are often part-time or seasonal, but they are an absolutely vital source of supplementary income in these rural communities, particularly for students, retirees, and others who value flexible employment.

Beyond direct employment, the money spent on grouse moor management supports a wide network of local businesses, from mechanics and agricultural suppliers to local pubs, hotels, and shops. The £52 million figure mentioned in the article represents a significant investment in rural communities that would be lost if shooting were banned, with no clear mechanism for replacement.

4. Challenging the 'Rewilding' Narrative

The article suggests that alternatives to grouse moor management, such as rewilding and community buyouts, can successfully "replace" grouse shooting. While we respect the work of organisations like the RSPB and the National Trust and the ambitions of projects like Knepp and Langholm, it is disingenuous to present them as a universal blueprint for the uplands.

Rewilding projects like Knepp Estate, while successful in their own right, are in a lowland context with a very different ecology and socio-economic landscape. The notion that such a model can be scaled up to replace grouse moor management across vast swathes of the UK uplands is an unproven theory.

The Langholm Initiative has required significant public and philanthropic funding to get off the ground and remains reliant on grants to achieve its goals.

By contrast, grouse moor management is largely funded by private investment, which pays for the conservation work on these landscapes. The argument that rewilding can replace this private funding with a self-sustaining model remains speculative.

Furthermore, the idea of replacing grouse moors with nature reserves, as suggested by Olivia Blake, fails to acknowledge the scale of the challenge. The UK’s 1.8 million hectares of heather moorland are a globally significant habitat. To manage this area without the private investment from shooting would require an enormous and as-yet-unidentified public funding stream.

The Value of Tradition and Stewardship

The Moorland Association believes in a future for our uplands that is rooted in tradition, evidence-based conservation, and a commitment to rural livelihoods. Our members are dedicated land managers and conservationists who are proud of their role as stewards of this unique landscape. They live and work in these communities, and their efforts ensure that these habitats thrive for the benefit of all.

Grouse moor management provides a rare, privately funded model of conservation that protects a mosaic of habitats, supports rare bird species, prevents catastrophic wildfires, and is increasingly at the forefront of peatland restoration. It is a system that has maintained the UK’s heather moorland, a habitat that is rarer than rainforest and of immense global importance for biodiversity.

We welcome informed debate about the future of our uplands. However, we must ensure that such a debate is based on facts, not on outdated or emotionally charged rhetoric. The moorland landscape is not a wasteland to be "rewilded" but a vibrant, managed ecosystem that provides immense public benefit.

The path forward lies in collaboration and a shared understanding of the science, not in divisive calls for a ban that would dismantle a proven conservation model without a credible, sustainable alternative.

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