Last month, water company United Utilities (UU) announced at its AGM that it will not be renewing grouse shooting leases (or pheasant and partridge shooting leases) on its land once the current leases expire in 2027 (here).
This position was widely welcomed by the conservation community but the gamebird shooting organisations were furious, even making half-veiled threats in the national press (see here).
United Utilities stood firm against the backlash and published a statement to further explain its decision (here).
This week, United Utilities has published another statement but its earlier decision now seems less clear. Here’s the latest statement:
GAMEBIRD SHOOTING ON OUR LAND
At United Utilities we are committed to managing, and investing in, all of our assets to improve water quality and resilience for the benefit of the communities we serve. These objectives alone underpin the land management policies we apply to the 56,000 hectares of land that we, as a company, own.
In July 2023, as part of an update to our land management policies, we identified 6,000 hectares that we will be restoring for nature and biodiversity.
On a further 12,000 hectares of land, we began to extend that work to improve catchment resilience including plans to not renew around 20 licenses for game bird shooting as they came to their end.
Since that announcement, we have received representations on behalf of the local rural communities about the potential social and economic impact this decision might have.
We take our responsibility seriously to engage fully with our community stakeholders. In response to these representations we will work with local communities affected and each licence holder to fully understand the impact of any proposal, to ensure we minimise the impact on livelihoods and maximise the opportunities available.
We will seek to identify how, in each case, we can best balance our commitment to improving water resilience whilst minimising the impact on individual communities and the environment.
We are aware there are many voices and points of view and we will listen to everyone involved.
ENDS
I’m not sure how to interpret that, to be honest.
Is it a clever ploy to placate the very angry shooting industry without actually having any intention of back-tracking on its earlier decision, or is it an indication that UU has buckled under the weight of online abuse and has opted for a quieter life by deciding to renew the shoot leases after all?
Or maybe it’s something else. Maybe UU has no intention of renewing any shooting leases but wants to explore other potential employment opportunities for those who may be out of a job if the shooting leases go.
Time will tell.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Sounds like UU are back sliding.
Seems like there looking at the human cost some of these ill informed decision are made. Thanks to say they are listening to the people who have looked after the areas for decades for the benefit of all endangered speciese .
What about the “endangered speciese” (sic) which your mates have trapped, shot and poisoned? The truth is that they can’t be trusted to “look after” a window box.
What endangered species are you referring to?
Hen Harriers, Golden Eagles, Sea Eagles, Whitetail Eagled, Merlins, etc. etc. but you knew that already, didn’t you…
Read the various reports on this website. Or is the truth unpalatable to you?
More likely they are listening to the pro-grouse shooting Ministers who are playing poker with this, and may well be saying things like, “rethink your idea of ending the shooting leases or -before we get voted out – we will get Ofwat to leave their comfy office chairs and count how many millions of gallons of untreated shit you’re still pumping out”. In addition, I doubt there will be as many Conservative politicians anxious about the fate of 12,000 Wilko employees, as those fretting over losing an invite or two to shoot grouse in the next couple of months.
To much is made about raptors what about many birds that are destroyed by them you seem to think they are the only bird.
Watch out, your agenda’s showing!
Strange comment, ‘destroyed by them..(raptors)’. Predated is the word, what it says on the tin. It’s what they do, supposed to do. Its called, ‘Nature’. Shooting, trapping , poisoning, is not predating is it.
Interesting use of language here. ‘Looked after’? It goes along with ‘guardians of the countryside’ and claims that the shooting industry are ‘conservationists’. All propaganda nonsense, of course.
Grouse moor management is simply that; a land management process with a very specific outcome e.g. to produce an unnaturally high population of grouse so that they can be driven towards static (dug in) gun positions to be killed ‘for fun’ by paying customers. Everything else is window dressing at best and often disingenuous deceit at worst.
The cost to nature and the environment of this land management process is considerable in terms of denial of recreation to the wider community, lead pollution, destruction of habitat, destruction of wildlife, flooding and loss of one of the most effective ways of capturing CO2.
Of course the shooting industry wants everyone to believe they are somehow engaged in something ‘noble’ and ‘philanthropic’, something we all benefit from because the truth is the exact opposite. This is an elite activity for the richest people in the country that involves exclusion, destruction, environmental degradation/harm, cruelty and all for the profit of some and the enjoyment of killing for others.
Please don’t try and portray yourselves as the ‘victims’ of anything. You are the perpetrators of a grotesque harm. You know it and so do we. It needs to stop and you could start by being a lot more honest with yourselves about what it is you are actually doing.
Possibly a holding tactic until after the next election? With fewer pals of the Agents then in government (assuming a Labour win), their ability to influence government and government to then influence UU should weaken, and the UU policy will be less problematic.
A skillfully presented PR exercise that will no doubt produce research stating that local “workers” are strongly in favour of retaining DGM’s. The Moorland groups are perfectly placed to lever local populkations, especially them with tied houses, jobs or dependant businesses into alignment with their wishes … or else.
This apparrant move to enact a turnaround from UU is in line with the rest of the developments currently unveling themselves in the environmental field. Any move to canvas the residents in the regions where DGM’s proliferate should be closely analysed with a view to comparisons being made with locald who are not dependant on Estates for their livliehood or continued residence.
I hope they haven’t been got at by the establishment.
Here we go again, jobs blackmail. The economic argument for DGM should have been dead and buried years ago. The conservation organisations need to be a hell of a lot more proactive and strident in telling the public why DGM is disastrous not a positive for rural communities – lost opportunities. How many of the people downhill know that their homes and businesses will continue being under the shadow of higher flood risk if grouse shooting ISN’T booted off the hills? Might be an idea if somebody makes sure they do know that, can’t see many politicians telling their constituents keeping their homes dry has to be compromised so clots can shoot grouse for fun. Hopefully UU are just placating the plonkers.
Maybe UU are doing a U turn, I doubt it though.
There will be some new work with Ghyll fencing and scrub planting, I hope when its all rewilded there wont be a massive fire and burn everything down, thats a very real risk, .
I wonder how many new foxes will be on their land in a few years,
They will eat harrier chicks as well as other red data species such as curlew.
Im expecting the worst with curlew, theyll go the same way as Corncrake and grey partridge .
I’ve read similar concerns from the MA, BASC, various shooting & fieldsports media, etc. It’s easy for me and doubtless many others to spot the disingenuous among them i.e those that are sailing under false colours of faux concern for what may or may not happen in the future, while in truth being principally concerned only about another case of the shooting industry’s grip on our uplands loosening a bit.
Well said keen birder. Those that agree with UUs decision on shooting leases , need to go and have a walk around the Langholm Moor, and see what biodiversity remains there these days. End the current management and you will throw out the baby with the bath water.
Wrong, so wrong!!
“I hope when its all rewilded there wont be a massive fire and burn everything down, thats a very real risk,”
Why would that be, then?
“I wonder how many new foxes will be on their land in a few years,
They will eat harrier chicks as well as other red data species such as curlew.
Im expecting the worst with curlew, theyll go the same way as Corncrake and grey partridge ”
Yet more ‘if it wasn’t for shooting management there won’t be any ground-nesting birds” drivel. How do you explain the existence of ground-nesting birds before game shooting was invented?
I knew this would happen. The shooting community are a vile group.
They must talk to other water companies which own areas with similar land use. Wonder what they’re saying to each other. Would love to get a look at any emails or meeting minutes
UU went off at half cock thinking PR damage would be minimal and earning some brownie points. When the real users of the countryside who rely on employment there complained, they can see the heavier negative PR. I think it will still happen but the water pollution and unchecked predation will decimate endangered species.
Me included.!.
Keep smiling.
Steve.
There are many “real users of the countryside” who have no desire at all to abuse wild animals for fun.
Also, DGS “management” itself has polluted watercourses with particulate run-off caused by burning (not to mention the thousands of tonnes of lead showered over the land every year).
Finally, predation has never been “unchecked” since the organisms in question first evolved, and all did just fine before your lot began degrading habitats to suit themselves.
Take some time to learn a few ecological facts before insulting our intelligence.
Laughable stuff – the reason HH is endangered is thanx to the DGS Mafia
I wonder whether UU have noted events at Grimwith and the reaction from the non-shooting populace, and are quietly checking their own moorland shoots. Meanwhile they appear to moderate their stance to appease the Tories, who will be eliminated at the next election anyway. Shoots might be given time to clean up their act, if that is possible with DGS, and the cleanest may be given a short extension for independent verification, conditional in any new lease. Time bought, fewest deeply offended.
Don’t ignore the goodwill generated by Lee Schofield’s book ‘Wild Fell’ abour Haweswater. They won’t hazard that.
Re Grimwith, has anyone noticed comment from Yorks Water?
I have to wonder what political interference there has been to make United Utilities come out with this additional statement?
What took place in Dorset as regards the poisoned white tailed eagle should be be a reminder to everyone that sinister forces are often at play behind the scenes, and only very rarely does the curtain lift just enough to see the truth of what really happens behind closed doors.
Maybe UU should consult their customers, who could give a yes/no vote on whether they want their water company to continue supporting shooting or whether the land should be managed in an alternative way which still benefits nature and the environment?
Because despite all the noise from the pro shooting lobby there are alternative ways for conservation and wildlife regeneration which don’t involve unnatural numbers of game birds. This conservation work would still need to be managed and may provide employment opportunities for those with credible environmental land management skills.
Well said John I, time to put OUR environment, and OUR wildlife before profit, enough is enough.
Profit will always rule, its the way the world works!. Man is by nature greedy and selfish. The best answer to all this, is compromise!, allow shooting on estates that follow exact rules!. No illegal persecution of raptors etc, shut the ones down that dont comply!.