Further to the publication of the Werritty Review on grouse moor management this morning (here), the Scottish Raptor Study Group (SRSG) has issued a statement:
The Scottish Raptor Study Group is pleased with the Scottish Government’s Independent Grouse Moor Review Group’s report and in particular the recommendation to introduce a licensing framework but the steps proposed are too timid and too slow. The proposals for regulations on muir burn are very welcome especially in these times of concern around climate change. We also warmly support the greater protection of mountain hares.
The strong-arm tactics of the grouse lobby were once again laid bare in the Chair’s Preface clearly demonstrating their sense of entitlement over the wider public interest and we trust the Scottish Government will not be cowed. Even when the review group were considering their findings the killings and ‘suspicious disappearances’ of birds of prey across some driven grouse moors continued unabated, clearly demonstrating that the grouse lobby feel that the law does not apply to them.
We are keen to hear how the Scottish Government might resource such a licensing framework to ensure the regulator has the necessary powers for both pro-active compliance and effective enforcement. Without the fear of detection and subsequent investigation there is little incentive to comply with any new licensing regime, which is the situation we see today with bird of prey crimes.
The Scottish Raptor Study Group calls upon the Scottish Government to immediately implement the licensing of driven grouse moors to finally and decisively crack down on this sector for the benefit of Scotland’s birds of prey, our environment and the wider public interest. Over many years Ministers have stated their revulsion at the illegal persecution of birds of prey and had pledged to take decisive action, well now is the time.
ENDS
Raptor Persecution UK 
“The Scottish Raptor Study Group is pleased with the Scottish Government’s Independent Grouse Moor Review Group’s report and in particular the recommendation to introduce a licensing framework but the steps proposed are too timid and too slow.”
How is it possible to be pleased with a proposal then say that it is “too timid and too slow”. That is an illogical statement.
Dougie read to the bottom of the article!
Sorry, but I’m with Dougie on this one. As a long-standing member, indeed founder member, of what is now known as the ‘South Strathclyde Raptor Study Group,’ I too was somewhat taken aback that our national Scottish RSG was “pleased with the Scottish Government’s Independent Grouse Moor Review Group’s report…,” Was this just an introductory softening up remark? If so I think that is an appalling compromise to make to the unwelcome compromise that is the report’s obvious failure to come to a fair and sensible conclusion. I certainly hope I’m not the only ordinary member of the RSG to despair that the SRSG has handed a quote that I suspect the grouse shooting organisations could repeat in their literature the magic words…”The Scottish Raptor Study Group is pleased with the Scottish Government’s Independent Review Group’s report.” Close quote ! These words could come to haunt us, though I hope I’m wrong.
Whether it’s adjudicating over a golf course on a SSSI, legislation to control hill track construction, or regulation of an exclusive hunting industry that uses 20% of our land, the Scottish Executive proves itself endlessly malleable by wealthy lobbyists. Whatever happened to the early progressive land reform programme ? How this land is used and abused, for instance for industrialised grouse-shooting, is intimately tied up with how it is owned and the tax regimes the government chooses. What of the Scottish government’s green credentials? The proposed regulation in this report appears to me to be unenforceable: I don’t imagine the hills of Glen Esk, for instance, will look one jot more biodiverse in twenty years’ time on the back of this.
The review’s “Five year probationary period for specified raptors on or near grouse shooting estates to ‘recover’ to a favourable conservation status” immediately puts the onus on raptor groups and conservation organisations to do intensive monitoring of the specied raptors over a five year period at huge expense and probably to little avail if illegal killing of these raptors continues. Given that we have years of information already accrued to show that peregrines, hen harriers and golden eagles are absent from many grouse shooting estates this probationary period seems a complete farce to me.
James and even then they will find an excuse to kick the can down the road!
So the vote was tied and the chair didnt want to do his job a use a casting vote. The very worst kind of can kicking. This report was destined to fail from the minute the brief was published.
If this is going to have to be a political decision why waste all the effort on gathering scientific evidence? Time to join the SNP and influence from within.