Regular blog readers will know that NatureScot made a sudden and controversial decision last autumn to change its approach and amend the brand new grouse moor licences that had been issued to sporting estates in Scotland under the new Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.
See previous blogs here, here, here, here, and here for background details.
The changes made by NatureScot significantly weakened the licence by changing the extent of the licensable area from covering an entire estate to just the parts of the estate where red grouse are ‘taken or killed’, which on a driven grouse moor could effectively just mean a small area around a line of grouse butts. The licence was further weakened by NatureScot reducing the number of offences outside the licensable area that could trigger a licence revocation.
Freedom of Information responses later revealed that NatureScot had capitulated on grouse moor licensing after receiving legal threats from the grouse shooting industry. Secret and extensive negotiations then took place between NatureScot and a number of grouse shooting organisations, excluding all other stakeholders. NatureScot refused to release the legal advice it had received and on which it had apparently based its changes to the licence.
Thanks to those of you who wrote to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Agriculture & Connectivity, Jim Fairlie MSP, last month to ask what the Scottish Government intended to do to fix the massive loophole that now exists in the amended licence. I’ve yet to see any substantial response from him.
Meanwhile, it seems other politicians have taken a keen interest in proceedings and Colin Smyth MSP (Scottish Labour) has now lodged the following parliamentary questions:
S6W-34517: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the (a) legal and (b) other advice obtained by NatureScot regarding which areas of land should be covered by a 16AA licence under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.
S6W-34518: To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported criticisms from members of the conservation sector regarding the changes made to grouse shooting licences by NatureScot and, in the light of this, what steps it plans to ensure that the operation of section 16AA licences fulfils the intentions of (a) it and (b) the Parliament.
S6W-34519: To ask the Scottish Government on what dates NatureScot met (a) Police Scotland and (b) the National Wildlife Crime Unit before seeking approval for a new grouse licensing condition regarding raptor persecution from land and estates.
S6W-34520: To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on (a) the comment by NatureScot on 19 July 2026 that “raptor persecution undertaken in connection with grouse moor management could take place anywhere on a property, not just on the grouse moor itself”, and (b) whether the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 needs to be amended to ensure that the 16AA grouse shooting licence covers an applicant’s whole landholding and not the grouse moor only.
These questions were lodged on 6 February 2025 and answers are expected by 6 March 2025.
There’s more going on behind the scenes. Watch this space.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Looks like the Scots Government are having their pockets lined.
I sort of agree, but perhaps not so much having pockets lined and maybe more like having their existing funding channels squeezed. The taps turned off. I confess I am a conspiracy theorist – in a nutshell I believe that many of the people who are important in determining the availability of international money that the UK can borrow, are the owners, participants and passionate supporters of the really high-end driven grouse shooting world. A very exclusive clique – literally a few dozen people, if that. I do think that they have significant influence over our political systems (Westminster & devolved governments) – though how much (and whether it is sufficient to completely usurp our democracy) I just don’t know.
These people sound alot worse than the characters on “Yes Minister” but that’s pretty normal for this day and age. We can also look forward to the ensuing farce between Westminster and the cruel bloodthirsty lying fox hunting brigade despite the hours of evidence on YouTube what a bloodthirsty nation of animal lovers we are now.
I think that there is more going on behind the scenes than we may comprehend. In Scotland the major influence is of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It is very powerful in Scotland and the upper echelons (dukes, politicians, businessmen and such like) will be senior Freemasons. I have found that people are too frightened to speak out for fear of the consequences. No doubt handshakes will have been made and those who want to subvert the democratic and legal processes will succeed if only for a time. Colin Smyth used to be my MSP and I think he can be trusted on this.
No reply to my email so far from Jim Fairlie MSP. That’s solid set of questions however, that Colin Smyth MSP (Scottish Labour) has now lodged. Hope they are addressed and he gets proper answers.
S6W-34520 19th July 2026 ?
The right people in the right places as you’ve said Frances good old handshake nod nod wink wink.