The annual Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation were established to celebrate those who achieve most in game conservation, according to the Purdey Awards website (here). These awards are viewed as the game-shooting industry’s most prestigious, giving recognition to those ‘who do most to help our flora and fauna, by improving biodiversity and developing better land management‘.
The 2012 Purdey Award winners were recently announced. We were particularly interested in the ‘Highly Commended’ category:
“Brian Kaye of Redmyre Farm Shoot of Invergowrie, near Dundee, has been highly commended for his work in creating a high quality farm shoot and for enhancing the landscape and natural environment. Mr Kaye has not only dramatically improved the habitats and biodiversity for a wide variety of game birds and plant life, but has also demonstrated how shooting goes hand in hand with conservation. The award is made in recognition of outstanding work over 20 years in establishing an exemplary shoot over 320 acres of the Sidlaw Hills“.
Surely not the same Brian Kaye who owns Redmyre Estate near Invergowrie (according to the East of Scotland Association for Wildfowling and Conservation: see here)? Nah, it couldn’t possibly be. A gamekeeper on Redmyre Estate was convicted in 2010 of shooting dead a buzzard and for possession of the banned poisons Carbofuran and Alpha-chloralose (see here, here, and especially here).
Other ‘greats’ that have been celebrated with Purdey Award wins include:
Geoff Eyre, the sporting tenant on Howden Moor (2005 Purdey Gold Award). In 2011, the gamekeeper on Howden Moor was convicted of a series of wildlife crimes (see here).
Jimmy Shuttlewood, the head gamekeeper on Snilesworth Estate (2005 Purdey Special Award). In 2008, Shuttlewood and two other gamekeepers were convicted of a series of wildlife crimes (see here).
Lochindorb Estate (2008 Purdey Gold Award). In 2010 a dead sea eagle that had been found on the estate mysteriously disappeared just before the police arrived (see here). In 2011, the trial against two Lochindorb gamekeepers began, accused of illegally snaring mountain hares. The case against one gamekeeper was dropped earlier this year; the trial against the other gamekeeper will continue in January 2013 (see here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
Obviously the awards would have been claimed back or returned to Purdey. It brings their name into disrepute. these awards have been won by people who have later been found guilty of wildlife crimes, a simple sporting term best describes these people, “CHEATS” the Lance Armstrongs of Gamekeepers. just wait till those go getters at the sga hear about this, not only have they cheated other law abiding gamekeepers out of a chance of winning these awards, they,ve discredited the industry and cheated the British public out of their true wildlife heritage. I dont expect to see nesting Merlins or Hen Harriers on my local moors in my lifetime but it would be nice if my kids were allowed the oppertunity