CAMPAIGNERS are set to hold a protest outside Dundee Airport to mark the beginning of the driven grouse shooting season.
August 12, also known as the Glorious Twelfth, will see shooting enthusiasts flock to Scotland’s many grouse shooting estates in pursuit of red grouse.
The practice has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to its links to raptor persecution and other environmental concerns, such as the impact of muirburn on carbon-rich peatland.
The Scottish Government recently introduced a licencing scheme in a bid to stop the illegal killing of birds of prey, which has blighted the industry for decades.
New rules which more tightly regulate the controlled burning of heather and a ban snares were also introduced. However, some campaigners want the practice to be banned outright.
The cost of a day’s grouse shooting can run into the £1000s, leading Extinction Rebellion to target Dundee Airport where wealthy shooters are expected to arrive before heading to an estate.
“Grouse-shooting combines several factors that exemplify the emergency we are in,” said council worker Dr Kate Treharne.
“Flying in to use vandalised land to kill and exploit nature is the preserve of the entitled few. The land exploited for grouse shooting belongs to all of us; changing the way such land is managed is one of the fastest, cheapest and easiest ways to restore nature and draw down carbon while improving life for rural communities.”
Protesters are set to gather outside Dundee Airport from 12pm on Monday, August 12.
Max Wiszniewski, campaigner manager for REVIVE - a coalition of groups calling for further reform of grouse moors in Scotland - told The National.
"“The circle of destruction around grouse moors has been the focus of REVIVE’s campaigning for many years.
"For the huge area of land it uses up and for the hundreds of thousands of animals it kills, so more grouse can be shot by a few people for their entertainment, its economic contribution to Scotland is tiny for the harm it does.
"From the slaughter of wildlife to the burning of peatlands and environmental degradation, it’s understandable that the start of the grouse shooting season shines a spotlight on the harmful impacts of this ‘sport’ and the management practices which a vast majority of Scots are against.”
In March, the then Tory-led UK government invoked the Internal Market Act in order to prevent the Scottish Government banning the sale of glue traps.
While their use is already banned in England and Wales, it is still technically legal to purchase them.
A spokesman for the UK Government said: “We are pleased that the Scottish Government is also pursuing a ban on the use of rodent glue traps, but do not believe the evidence presented has demonstrated that a new trade barrier is necessary when it appears a ban on their sale would not be substantially more effective than one focused on their use and possession.”
