The grouse moor licensing scheme in Scotland, brought in under the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 in spring, has already been sabotaged by the grouse shooting industry.
This is breaking news that I presented at the REVIVE conference at Perth Concert Hall yesterday.
Some of the details of this sabotage are still a bit murky – it has all happened behind the scenes and it is proving difficult to get hold of the documents but it is apparent that the grouse shooting industry threatened a legal challenge against NatureScot’s interpretation of the new legislation, relating to the area of land that would be covered by the grouse shoot licence.
As a result of that threat, NatureScot appears to have caved in and has introduced modifications to the licence conditions which significantly narrow the intended purpose and reach of the original licence. However, scrutiny of those new conditions reveal they are utterly unenforceable.
These secret ‘negotiations’ between NatureScot and the grouse shooting industry appear to have been taking place over a number of months, without any consultation with other stakeholders and nor, it seems, with the police, who I understand have advised NatureScot of their concerns about their ability to enforce the new conditions.
I submitted an FoI to NatureScot a few weeks ago when I first became aware of these issues and I asked for the following documents:
- A copy of the legal advice NatureScot received in relation to these changes.
- A copy of all correspondence between NatureScot and Ministers in relation to these changes.
- A copy of all external correspondence in relation to these changes.
- A copy of all internal correspondence in relation to these changes.
The deadline for NatureScot’s response was last week. It came as no surprise whatsoever to receive an email from NS last week telling me they needed a further 20 working days to respond.
The lack of transparency around these changes is deeply concerning, especially given the efforts made by Government and its agencies to include the views of all stakeholders as the Wildlife Management & Muirburn Bill made its way through Parliament over the last year or so. These new modifications to the licence conditions look like a stitch-up that’s been concocted between the grouse shooting industry and NatureScot.
What it also shows, in my view, is the grouse shooting industry’s insincerity about tackling raptor persecution on grouse moors. The intent of the Scottish Parliament was clear when it passed the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act and I have no doubt about its sincerity. What these new licence conditions do is undermine the will of Parliament and effectively negate the effectiveness of the grouse moor licensing scheme.
Work is now underway to address this in Parliament with the RSPB leading the charge. I expect we’ll hear a lot more about this over the coming days and weeks.
For those interested in the details of the licence changes and their implications (as far as I understand them at this stage), you can watch my presentation at yesterday’s REVIVE conference here (starts at 19.42 mins).
UPDATE 13 November 2024: NatureScot announces the commencement of its utterly shambolic & unenforceable changes to grouse moor licensing (here)
UPDATE 13 November 2024: Mark Ruskell MSP starts parliamentary process of challenging the “vast loophole” in new grouse moor licence (here)
UPDATE 15 November 2024: Scotland’s grouse moor licences “allowed to descend into a shambles” (here)
UPDATE 5 December 2024: Scottish Government ‘aware’ of issues with new grouse moor licences (here)
UPDATE 18 December 2024: NatureScot is stalling on releasing overdue FoI documents relating to its grouse moor licensing shambles (here)
UPDATE 24 January 2025: NatureScot capitulated on grouse moor licensing after legal threats by game-shooting industry (here)
UPDATE 10 February 2025: Parliamentary questions lodged on grouse moor licensing shambles in Scotland (here)
UPDATE 3 November 2025: Breaking news – Scottish Government commits to closing loophole on sabotaged grouse moor licences (here)
UPDATE 4 November 2025:Â Statement from RSPB Scotland Director on proposed amendment to close grouse moor licence loophole (here)
UPDATE 14 November 2025: Scottish Minister Jim Fairlie provides rationale behind proposed amendment to close loophole on grouse shoot licence (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
Same as with the Hunting Act all those years ago, the people who indulge in this so called ‘sport’, not only think they are above the law, but apparently actually are. It’s going to take someone who is not afraid to stand up to these despicable, entitled monsters, to even begin to protect our ever diminishing wildlife.
Your views are based on the hatred of hunting not what’s best for the environment. With luck you and your family will xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Garin, please explain, on this blog, how and why, hunting is good for the environment. I`m sure it will be very enlightening.
I will support Wild Justice if they deem it feasible to tackle this one!!
As usual, it’s the establishment back door deals and secret meetings that undermine the public’s will yet again. Well done Ruth for bringing to light what has been going on – NatureScot should be serving the people of Scotland, not the vested interests who want to continue their killing as before. It just shows once again that the shooting industry will stop at nothing to keep on wiping out raptors whatever they say in public, enabled by the shadowy deals with lawyers and civil servants who are supposed to stop them but instead kow-tow to the lairds. A well-deserved award Ruth, I just wish you didn’t have to carry on campaigning as arduously as you do but keep up the brilliant work đź‘Ź
thank goodness that the important Highlands sporting industry and NatureScot have come to a sensible compromise on this!
“thank goodness that the important Highlands sporting industry and NatureScot have come to a sensible compromise on this!”
You mean ‘corrupt compromise’, so the so-called “important Highlands sporting industry” can continue with its criminal activity.
Sporting industry, what’s sporting about shooting an animal ? NOTHING ! It’s all archaic pomp and nonsense and is abhored by more than 75% of Scots, only the minority are stuck in the Victorian era ! Our birds of prey are persecuted constantly, animals,insects,amphibians,reptiles killed via nuirburn, lead shot in the soils, chemical grit etc etc it needs to be banned outright ! Scotland is a modern thinking country, it’s the likes of the shooting fraternity which are stuck in some sick time warp ! This is NOT a sensible compromise, this is sabotage, this is Nature Scot being cowards, or were there envelopes involved ? it WILL not be left as is, it will be fought ! The time of shooting wildlife for kicks IS coming to an end !
if it was a “sensible compromise” why was it one behind closed doors????
any of you who actually believe this nonsense about the shooting fraternity massacring protected birds of prey need a reality check. Written into every game Keeper or shooting managers contract is a clause stating that they will be instantly dismissed for any violation of the protected species legislation. It is an inconvenient truth that birds of prey breed far more successfully on ground that is maintained for shooting.
How is it I keep seeing news articles about raptors being found illegally shot (or poisoned etc). Who has the guns, who has the poison? It’s not hillwalkers walking around with guns is it. For every lead-peppered corpse found there’ll be another dozen that were buried on the sly by Colin’s gang.
Poor Colin, it’s as if Mr T had him in mind all along: “I pity the fool”.
If what you say is true. Why are the sporting estates so fearful of this legislation? Surely they should welcome it to root out the last few gamekeepers (rotten apples) that kill raptors.
at the age of 10 all i wanted to be was a gamekeeper,at the age of 16 i became a trainee gamekeeper ,my mentor was xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx the first thing i was shown were all the dead rabbits/pheasants around the estate which were laced with poison,i lasted 6 months and i was a trainee gamekeeper no more ,i knocked it on the head,very cruel industry
“any of you who actually believe this nonsense about the shooting fraternity massacring protected birds of prey need a reality check.”
The facts speak for themselves, and we’ve also seen the video evidence.
“Written into every game Keeper or shooting managers contract is a clause stating that they will be instantly dismissed for any violation of the protected species legislation.”
And before they sign it they are told, “Never mind this guff. We have to write that for legal reasons. No one’s going to take any notice of it. Just don’t get caught, know what I mean?”
“It is an inconvenient truth that birds of prey breed far more successfully on ground that is maintained for shooting.”
Lie.
Oh, wake up Colin. Have you had your head stuck down the same hole as that poisoned eagle?
Utter rubbish. I know ‘keepers who have signed two contracts.
And how often has any gamekeeper or land manager ever been punished or dismissed for breaking the law on protected species?
Well done Ruth et al for continuing to have your finger on the pulse and bringing it to everyone’s attention.
I live near Nidderdale. The most effective deterrent to the systemic and cynical lawbreaking, is to bring in legislation which makes the landowners fully responsible for the actions of their employees. Any raptors poisoned, pole trapped, shot or killed deliberately on the land (and there have been a few in the Nidderdale and Swindon estate areas where the birds fell to earth and were not found and disposed of by the perpetrators). The penalty should be loss of commercial licence for a season. That would at least avoid the rare and ineffective prosecution of individual gamekeepers, which allows the wide eyed landowners to throw up their hand is horror and claim they knew nothing of what was going on in their lucrative business.
Wendy,
We already have this legislation in Scotland called vicarious liability. It is as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle.
Corruption is the only word.
Money talks, always has done always will do!, most of the shooting brigade are some of the richest people in the world!. Its the same in america, africa, the middle east etc, it will never be stopped. We can only cocentrate on raptor protection, and keep our fingers crossed, we can limit persecution. Hunting is as old as the hills, and will always have its wealthy advocates.
It is contrary to the supposedly democratic system (and judicial integrity) to do deal in secret and subvert the law enacted. No doubt the dodgy handshake and rolled up trouser leg brigade will have been at work here. Is it possible to look at the possibility of judicial review of this if the need arises?
Landowners employ gamekeepers to control any animal ‘vermin’ that threatens the existence of gamebirds so that a maximum possible number can be available to shoot. I think it’s rather naive to imagine that they would ever do things differently to how they always have unless they are absolutely forced to. They are after all the chosen and privileged few.
I may be cynical but I also think that Ruth is being rather generous to the Scottish government as I don’t trust most politicians (there are a few exceptions) to do anything much outside their own agenda of self interest and there is always going to be collusion out of sight of the public.
Nice to see some consistency however as NatureScot still don’t disappoint expectations
I don’t trust them either bt there are a few Scottish Politicians amongst them starting to stand up for animals.
p.s Thank you for the info Ruth + Thanks Keith Dancey for calling people (the bad) out,
well said Diane (twice) + Wendy Knight (though a 3 yr revoked licence would be better than a season) (I think anyway)
THE MONIED module think they run the country to suit themselves.
2 things Scotland must do is.
1 ) BAN all driven bird shoots in Scotland for 50 years.
2 ) Set up a forum and charge every person over 21 living in Scotland ÂŁ1 yearly to set up a fund th fight the MONIED war Lords running any driven shoot in Scotland.
Bring out a new law, making it illegal to run, set up or create any form of driven shoot to kill any bird for sport make the fine ÂŁ50,000 for first offence doubling each time a shoot takes or tries to take place.
as well as the fine a 150 day jail sentence doubling with each offence.
This should put these MONIED would bees in their place.
I had a fear from the beginning that they would fight to get the area to be licenced defined as the “grouse beats” only. ie they might twist it to mean “heather only”, or merely the extent of land which the beating line “takes in” during a grouse drive.
The above would have been bad enough and rendered the whole law merely ornamental, and a serious fraud – an abuse of power & influence. But to seriously think that they might try and twist the licences to make them apply only to something like a 70yd radius around each grouse butt is absolutely unthinkable!
If that is really what is at stake then this is more than just a fight about wildlife crime – it is a serious test of mettle and integrity for the Scottish Government. If they have in fact been “got at” on this, then what an unthinkably rotten state the whole political system must be in right around the UK.
Ruth, I am livid and many Scots will feel the same way ! Nature Scot are NOT fit for purpose, if they can roll over and cow tow to the shooting industry then what is the point in them ?We want our Birds of Prey protected, saved from persecution by those who enjoy killing for so called “sport” We know that the majority of Scots are against this archaic nonsense, and rightly so ! This HAS to be fought Ruth, do we take it to Holyrood, protest outside, shame Scottish Government into acting, into ensuring the new laws, as they were written are carried out as intended ? Something has to be done, and not just by you Ruth. I’m emailing the entire board of Nature Scot to demand answers, our wildlife deserves far better ! Keep up ALL the great work Ruth x
“Something has to be done, and not just by you Ruth. I’m emailing the entire board of Nature Scot to demand answers, our wildlife deserves far better ! Keep up ALL the great work Ruth x”
Well said:-)
Polite letters have much deeper impact. These people may not approve what is happening:
https://www.nature.scot/about-naturescot/board-directors-and-committees/our-board/board-members
Thanks, Keith, for the details of Board Members.
Thank you, Diane. My organisation Animal Interfaith Alliance will write to the Nature Scot Board also.
Thanks Ruth for exposing the duplicitous goings on. You said yesterday at the Revive Conference that there may have to be amended legislation to plug the loophole. If this is the case we should ensure that the revised legislation is stronger and more enforceable than the existing act. We should campaign to add pheasant and red-legged partridge to the list of game birds licensed to be shot under the act.
If someone wants to shoot grouse at ÂŁ100 a bird, let them. Not everyone one will agree with it and they are free to persuade those that shoot not to do it. I do not agree with halal or kosha slaughter for example, however I do not actively seek it made unlawful as I accept that people have a range of values, I will however highlite the silliness of it to those that ask. Grouse shooting employs many people, keepers, hotel workers and many other tourist workers in the tourist off season servicing well to do clients bringing much needed cash to the Highlands.
“Grouse shooting employs many people, keepers, hotel workers and many other tourist workers in the tourist off season servicing well to do clients bringing much needed cash to the Highlands…”
You forgot to mention that Grouse shooting also relies upon extensive criminal activity (illegal killing of raptors), the destruction of the natural environment (draining of the high moors, slaughter of ground predators, suppression of vegetation) and widespread pollution of air and water (muirburn and peat runoff).
Plus, the meat it ‘provides’ is poisonous.
Hi Trican, I think you have misunderstood what the new legislation is for. It is to curtail embedded illegal management practices on upland estates – such as killing birds of prey. To give them the protection in the real world that they have had on paper for decades. It is not interested in the principle of whether or not the act of shooting driven grouse is right or wrong, or should be banned or not.
If you tell s lie often enough…
No doubt you’ll be supplying us with figures and references to back up your assertion about the amount of money shooting brings in.
That will be interesting, as every single claim I have ever seen along these lines turns out to be selective quoting, cherry-picking, based on untenable and unevidenced assumptions, uses a, generally proprietary, black box model or some other form of plucking from an anal orifice.
Give us some proper evidence to look at and assess, thank you.
Thank you for raising this- I am absolutely gobsmacked and devastated by this. I am unsure how best to help but have written to all my MSPs and Nature Scot to make my opinion know that this must be reversed.
Write letters of protest to the Committee responsible to drafting this legislation.
rural.committee@parliament.scot