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Alongside The National‘s exclusive a couple of days ago about how 25 SNP branches are putting forward a motion to conference calling for an end to driven grouse shooting (see here), the paper also published a comment piece from Max Wiszniewski, campaign manager at the Revive coalition for grouse moor reform.

It’s reproduced here:

IF grouse shooting had never existed, and the shooting industry wanted to start grouse moors in Scotland today, would the Government be in … or would it be out? Revive: the coalition for grouse moor reform has simulated this scenario in its new video Government’s Den in which two professional lobbyists ask Government ministers for 12-18% of Scotland’s land for the controversial bloodsport – Dragon’s Den style.

You can ask yourself the same question. If you were being asked to give over huge swathes of Scotland for grouse moor management, would you be in? Would you let hundreds of thousands of foxes, mountain hares, stoats, weasels, crows, and other animals be snared, trapped and killed every year so more grouse could be shot by a few people for sport? Would you let the land be scarred by unregulated bulldozed hill tracks to make life easier for shooters or burnt to make the environment more suitable for grouse – damaging our vital peatlands and biodiversity?

Would you say yes to mass outdoor medication of grouse so that their numbers become unnaturally high only to be shot by tons of poisonous lead ammunition which is spread across the countryside?

Twenty-five branches of the Scottish National Party and elected representatives have submitted a motion asking conference to say no to the circle of destruction that surrounds driven grouse moors and yes for a transition to better alternatives.

This motion shows the grassroots membership of the party leading the charge, to change the face of Scotland for the better. The enthusiasm for tackling Scotland’s grouse moors from within the party is immensely welcome but not such a huge surprise.

Revive meetings at previous conferences have been filled beyond capacity. Moreover, without the push by the SNP grassroots in 2015, working with the Our Land campaign, the 2016 Land Reform (Scotland) Act as it stands might never have happened.

The case for radically reforming grouse moors and land reform in Scotland is very interlinked. Grouse moors, it can be said, are a metaphor for land reform in Scotland – very few people using land very badly for very little benefit to society. In fact, for all the land grouse moors use up, they only contribute 0.02% to our overall economy.

To put this another way, if Scotland’s economy is the size of Ben Nevis, grouse shooting’s contribution would be the size of a bottle of Irn-Bru.

However, we also know that a few very powerful people with vested financial interests do not want things to change. These interests do not even think you should need a licence to manage a grouse moors, arguing against any kind of change or regulation that other industries would find reasonable.

Changes in the law may not alone be enough, however. Grouse moors are already commonly associated with the suspicious disappearances of countless birds of prey. These crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute, so many believe a total ban on driven grouse shooting, or at least a transition to better land uses is the only way forward.

Wildlife tourism alone, a burgeoning sector, is already worth around five times the value of grouse shooting to the economy and forestry is about 30 times the economic value.

In order for Scotland to become “Green New Deal” compliant, which is the Scottish Government’s ambition, then it’s very clear driven grouse shooting and the circle of destruction and environmental damage that surrounds it is not sustainable going forward. If the Government is serious about fighting the climate crisis, it will do all it can to transform our moors despite the protestations of large, landed interests.

Revive fully supports the efforts of these branches and elected representatives to update their party policy on grouse moors which, if passed by the party’s conference, would put the SNP in line with the opinion of most Scots.

New polling shows more than 70% of Scottish people, rural and urban alike, are against grouse shooting for sport compared to just 12% who support it, so the SNP should certainly not be afraid to tackle it.

Driven grouse moors do exist in Scotland and they are one of the most destructive, cruel and least productive uses of our land. A modern progressive Scotland should declare itself out as soon as possible and along with land reform, make way for better land uses that benefit our people, our wildlife and the environment.

Max Wiszniewski is campaign manager for Revive, a coalition of like-minded organisations working for grouse moor reform in Scotland, made up of Common Weal, Friends of the Earth Scotland, the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, OneKind and Raptor Persecution UK

ENDS

The National newspaper ran an exclusive yesterday (see here), written by Jane Cassidy, on a new motion calling for an end to driven grouse shooting in Scotland, submitted to the SNP conference for consideration by members and supported by 25 regional SNP branches. If successful it could be included in the SNP manifesto.

The article is reproduced here:

TWENTY-FIVE SNP branches from across Scotland have submitted a motion for national conference calling for an end to the circle of destruction of driven grouse shooting in Scotland.

The submitted motion calls for an end to all the unsustainable practices on grouse moors including the snaring, trapping and killing of hundreds of thousands of animals, muirburn and mass outdoor medication, all to increase grouse numbers for sport shooting.

The motion, proposed by councillor Julie Bell of Kirriemuir and Dean, an area dominated by grouse moor interests, also calls for an end to the “use of poisonous lead shot” and for all shooting estates to be “licensed as soon as possible”. In line with the Scottish Government’s ambitions for land reform and tackling the climate crisis, it calls for a transition away from driven grouse shooting and calls for these asks to be in the SNP manifesto next year.

The controversial sport has recently come under increasing pressure as polling of both rural and urban Scots this week revealed that 71% of Scots are opposed to it, compared to just 12% who support it.

Bell said: “There’s a real groundswell of concern, not only in my ward but across Angus and Scotland, about the impact this ‘sport’ has on our land. That’s reflected in my inbox and in local forums.

“I’m therefore urging our membership to support our motion as a step towards more ethical, sustainable land use.”

Ruth Maguire MSP, who is seconding the motion, said: “When it comes to grouse moors, the scale of land used for the benefit of so few and the accompanying damage done to the environment, wildlife and health is a matter of importance not just to the majority of rural Scots who support reform but to our whole nation. The SNP as the party of Scotland have the opportunity to be in the driving seat and take meaningful action to change the cycle of destruction.”

ENDS

UPDATE 6 November 2020: Why the SNP should back and end to grouse shooting on Scottish moors – comment piece from Revive’s campaign manager (here)

UPDATE 12 November 2020: SNP leadership faces grassroots rebellion at conference over watered down grouse shooting motion (here)

Last week we learned that Sainsbury’s was selling a new product – a mixed game casserole, made of 50% venison and 50% pheasant and red legged partridge.

It’s being produced by a company in North Yorkshire called Holme Farm Venison and acccording to the packaging, this product is ‘endorsed’ (ahem) by the British Game Alliance (BGA), whose ‘kitemark’ is stamped on the front (see here for earlier blog).

[Photo by Ruth Tingay]

Amazingly, the packaging did not include any warning that the product may contain toxic lead ammunition and nor did any of the ‘on shelf’ information provided by Sainsbury’s.

Given the very serious public health risk of consuming any amount of toxic lead shot (the Food Standards Agency says there is no safe level and lead is a particular risk to children and pregnant women), this lack of information was of concern. Other supermarkets, such as Waitrose (here) have committed, by 2021, to not even be selling gamebirds that contain toxic lead shot, let alone not providing any health warnings (although see here), so Sainsbury’s seemed to be way behind the curve.

Blog readers were encouraged to contact Sainsbury’s, and the supplier, Holme Farm Venison, and ask for information about the toxic lead content of this product.

Many thanks to all of those who did. Sainsbury’s has now responded, and thanks to several blog readers who have sent us the standard reply, which goes like this:

Thank you for your recent e-mail received by Simon Roberts. He has has me to personally respond to you on his behalf.

The product you have enquired about is a branded product (not Sainsburys own brand) and we would encourage any further questions to be directed to Holme Farmed Venison, through their customer helpline.

The Branded Holme Farm Venison (HFV) game products are assured by the British Game Alliance (BGA). The British Game Alliance independently audits all shoots participating in the accreditation, ensuring that they are all compliant with the requirements.

Lead shot is being phased out, but is still in use, however HFV products only select from meat that has no shot in it. Initially, visually inspected and then metal detected at the game processor and again visually inspected in the final pack. There are additional warnings on pack that refers to shot to ensure customers are aware.

Kind Regards,

Wow. It’s hard to know where to start with that.

There seem to be two issues. First of all, Sainsbury’s is using the so-called ‘assurance’ of a British Game Alliance kitemark as an indication of the product being sourced from estates that ‘meet rigorous and ethical standards’. But as has been pointed out several times on this blog, the British Game Alliance (BGA) is secretive about its members, and some of those we do know about either have been, or still are, under active police investigation for alleged wildlife crime offences relating to the illegal persecution of birds of prey (e.g. see here, here and here). How is the Sainsbury’s customer supposed to know which BGA-assured members are supplying these half a million pheasants and red-legged partridge for the casseroles and whether those estates are indeed meeting ‘rigorous and ethical standards’ if the estates aren’t named?

The second issue is much more serious, and that is the lack of a public health warning on this product. Sainsbury’s must be the only supermarket in the world, ever, to be claiming that its supplier, Holme Farm Venison, ‘only select from meat that has no shot in it‘.

Really? Really, Sainsbury’s? Do you really believe that?

And if that is the case, then why is the supplier adding a warning on the package that says, ‘Whilst every effort is made to remove shot from the meat, please be aware, some may remain‘ ? It’s a clear warning, even though it fails to mention the toxicity of the shot:

If some shot may remain, as the supplier warns, then potentially this product may contain toxic lead shot (i.e. poison). In fact despite all the undoubtedly well-intentioned efforts the supplier may go to to remove lead shot pellets (poison), it’s well known that even when pellets are removed, high lead levels (poison) can remain from the tiny, tiny fragments that shear off when the ammunition tears through the flesh of the victim.

It’d be very embarrassing for Sainsbury’s if somebody decided to test a load of these game casseroles for lead ammunition (poison) and found them to contain, er, poison. This has been done before, a couple of years ago, when Mark Avery bought 40 frozen red grouse from Iceland supermarkets and had them tested for toxic lead ammunition (poison). Here’s what he found:

‘More than three quarters of the lead levels measured in Iceland Foods’ grouse meat would have been illegal if found in beef, pork, chicken etc where there is a level set (Maximum Reside Level) above which meat is illegal.  Over a third of the grouse meat samples contained ten times the MRL for lead. Two samples contained very very high lead levels: one of 168 times the MRL and the other of 3699 times the MRL.  Overall, the lead levels in these 40 samples of grouse meat were 100 times the MRL‘ (see here).

There may also be an issue here for Trading Standards and for the Food Standards Agency. Surely, surely Sainsbury’s has a duty of care to its customers and must warn them that they could be buying a product that could be a serious risk to their health (i.e. that contains poison)?

If there are any Trading Standards Officers reading this, or any experts from the FSA, please get in touch.

If you are a customer of Sainsbury’s and you’d like to know more about how this mixed game casserole meets the company’s responsible and sustainable sourcing codes for meat products, and ask why it has an apparently complacent attitude towards its customers’ health, please contact Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts at simon.roberts@sainsburys.co.uk

Press release from the League Against Cruel Sports (Scotland), a member of the Revive Coalition for grouse moor reform (2 November 2020)

New figures show overwhelming support for an end to grouse shooting in Scotland

Seven in ten of those polled are opposed to grouse shooting for sport

New figures published by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland show seven in ten people (71%) are opposed to grouse shooting in Scotland with only 12% in favour of the blood sport, views which are shared by those in both urban and rural locations. The figures are released as the Scottish Government prepares to publish its response to the Werritty Review, expected later this month.

A review of grouse moor management practices was ordered by the Scottish Government in 2017 with a view to introducing a licensing scheme for game-shooting estates. The Grouse Moor Management Group was tasked to look at the environmental impact of grouse moor management practices such as muirburn, the use of medicated grit and mountain hare culls, and advise on the option of licensing grouse shooting businesses. The Scottish Government-commissioned group published its report led by Professor Alan Werritty, in November 2019.

Robbie Marsland, Director of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland said:

“Almost a year ago Professor Werritty said wider societal views needed to be taken into account and political decisions made, well here are those views. Seven in ten people do not support grouse shooting in Scotland with only a pitifully low number in favour.

“We are urging the Scottish Government to take these views into account when it responds to Werritty later this month. There is a circle of destruction that surrounds grouse moors.  These moors account for enormous swathes of Scotland which deplete biodiversity, add to climate change pressures, employ rigorous predator control which causes untold suffering to tens of thousands of animals each year and make a woeful economic contribution.

“The time has come to move on from this archaic use of land and look at reviving grouse moors in a way which doesn’t revolve around a minority bloodsport opposed by the vast majority of Scottish people.”

The polling was commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland as part of its work with Revive, the coalition for grouse moor reform.

ENDS

Notes

1. This survey was commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and was designed by Diffley Partnership,
2. Data were collected online among a sample of the ScotPulse online panel throughout Scotland, representative of the Scottish population,
3. Survey invitations were sent on 7th October, with results analysed on 12th October
4. A total of 1364 complete responses were received
5. Results are weighted to the Scottish population by gender and age.

In an uncertain world there’s one thing you can always rely on – Songbird Survival seeking licences to kill birds of prey.

Here’s the most recent call to arms, which looks virtually identical to every other call to arms going back to the Victorians, as published in last week’s Scottish Farmer:

Sir, – Having pointed out an inaccuracy by the BBC Landward programme (are we surprised?) over pollination of cereal crops, Patrick Sleigh (The Scottish Farmer, October 24) once again painted a very realistic, albeit depressing, picture of the destruction of bumble bee and wasp nests by badgers, following another relevant letter (June 27 issue) about conservation.

He is absolutely right to highlight the unchecked predation by badgers, not just of bee and wasp nests but also and equally tragically of ground nesting birds and hedgehogs.

Despite enormous efforts by organisations like ‘Working for Waders’, ground nesting birds, like curlews, lapwings and oyster catchers, stand little if any chance of survival, let alone rearing any young when badgers are present.

To have seen badger numbers in the UK increase from 50,000 in 1980 to well over 500,000 now – and likely to increase even more due to their grossly overprotected status ( they are uniquely protected by two Acts of Parliament in 1973 and 1992) – is immensely disheartening and frustrating for all those who try to achieve a balanced wildlife situation.

It is not just badgers which can roam unchecked and wreak havoc on the country’s wildlife, but other species like sparrowhawks enjoying the same protected status continue to devastate fragile songbird populations, accounting for up to 30m songbirds per year, a figure which is totally unsustainable.

Our wildlife balance is now overly influenced by the visible attraction and drama of predators such as badgers, birds of prey and our pets (especially cats ). Meanwhile, political votes take priority over biodiversity loss which is all too easily blamed on farmers and global warming.

If we humans need to manage predator species, at least we can strive to be humane, unlike the grisly fate which so often awaits prey species.

So, if governments and conservation organisations are really serious about wildlife and want a varied and resilient population in this country, one way to make an immediate impact would be to lift the protected status on those over-protected mammals and birds of prey.

Nobody is advocating wholesale slaughter of these species, but if we are to have a healthy and balanced wildlife, then action needs to be taken before some of the more vulnerable species become extinct.

The pressure for action has been growing through the columns of The Scottish Farmer, with Patrick Sleigh, Malcolm Hay and Mark Tennant (chairman of Scottish Land and Estates), all expressing concern that governments need to adopt a more enlightened attitude to predation and actually do something rather than just talk about it.

Colin Strang Steel

Trustee SongBird Survival,

Threepwood,

Galashiels.

ENDS

Interestingly, it’s been brought to my attention that until very recently, another trustee of this ridiculous outfit was one Simon Lester. Would that be the same Simon Lester who was the former head gamekeeper at Langholm who has argued, without scientific evidence, for the need for legal raptor culling on driven grouse moors (here, here and here), and who is currently employed by Natural England on the proposed reintroduction of hen harriers to southern England?

How fascinating.

Perhaps Simon will be tempted by the recent recruitment drive to become Songbird Survival’s new CEO (see here).

Press release from the Langholm Initiative, the team behind the campaign for a community buyout of former grouse moor Langholm Moor (2 November 2020).

Community’s “impossible dream” set to come through with success for South of Scotland’s biggest community buyout

The South of Scotland’s largest community buyout is set to go ahead following one of the most ambitious community fundraising campaigns ever seen – with the community of Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway raising the final funds needed in the nick of time.

A landmark community buyout agreement of £3.8 million for over 5,000 acres of land has been reached between The Langholm Initiative charity and Buccleuch – paving the way for the creation of a huge new nature reserve to help tackle climate change, restore nature, and support community regeneration.

Discussions will continue over the remaining 5,300 acres of land the community has expressed an interest in buying.

[Langholm Moor. Photo by David Lintern]

Benny Higgins, Executive Chairman of Buccleuch, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have reached a significant agreement with The Langholm Initiative, and this deal demonstrates what can be achieved when everyone involved is committed to working together. The community has done a tremendous job in raising the funds to make this historic acquisition, and the plan to create a nature reserve has attracted widespread support. We wish the project every success.

“Engaging constructively with the communities in which we operate as a business is important to us. We have a long-standing policy of reducing our overall footprint to enable us to invest in other projects, and will continue this policy of selling land to interested farmers, community bodies and organisations which express an interest.”

Margaret Pool, Chair of The Langholm Initiative, said: “This is an amazing result for Langholm which will live long in the memory. Our community has a strong cultural connection to this land, which has never been sold before, and securing it for generations to come means so much to so many. Huge thanks to Buccleuch for their positive engagement.”

Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Land Reform, said: “The completion of The Langholm Moor project is a momentous moment for land reform in Scotland. The project secured a £1 million Scottish Land Fund grant in June, and it is of great testament to The Langholm Initiative that they have secured additional funding, and worked collaboratively with Buccleuch Estates, to bring 5,000 acres of land into community ownership. I commend both The Langholm Initiative and Buccleuch Estates for enabling the buy-out to be completed. 

“This is significant news for the South of Scotland but also demonstrates that, when working together with a shared goal, local communities can be a power vehicle for change. I applaud the Initiative wholeheartedly for realising their ambition and look forward to it inspiring other community groups to drive and deliver their own projects right across the country.”  

The purchase – to be finalised by January 2021 – will lead to the creation of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, with globally important peatlands and ancient woods restored, native woodlands established, and a haven ensured for wildlife including rare hen harriers. The project will also support community regeneration, including through plans for the community to capitalise on new nature-based tourism opportunities.

The Langholm Initiative had until 31 October to raise the funds for a deal, to avoid the Scottish Land Fund withdrawing their £1 million offer – a proviso that left the community with just months to raise millions of pounds. At times during the summer, the project appeared to be seriously at risk.

In the run-up to the deadline, Buccleuch Estates and The Langholm Initiative agreed a revised £3.8 million price for the purchase.  

With The Langholm Initiative still requiring substantial funding in the final weeks, £500,000 was secured from the Bently Foundation. Camille Bently, Director of the Bently Foundation, said: “The Bently Foundation is delighted to support this community-led environmental project. We wish them every success and look forward to visiting the new Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in future.”

During the final week, an extraordinary surge of more than £50,000 donations to the charity’s public crowdfunder – including £24,000 on one day alone – saw the appeal’s £200,000 target achieved. Nearly 4,000 people have supported the crowdfunding appeal since its launch on 7 May.

In the final 48 hours before the deadline, and with the community still some £150,000 short of the total funds needed, The Woodland Trust agreed to contribute £200,000 to the project – taking The Langholm Initiative over the line.

Carol Evans, Director of Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to support The Langholm Initiative’s exciting plans with a financial contribution and help deliver new native woods set in an appropriate mosaic of other habitats at Langholm. The world faces a climate emergency and a biodiversity crisis. This initiative is a fightback against both threats.”

John Watt, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair, said: “This is a momentous day for The Langholm Initiative and the wider community, who have pulled together and worked extremely hard over recent months to meet their fundraising goal. On behalf of the Scottish Land Fund, a huge congratulations to everyone involved. We are proud to be able to support them with a £1 million award that will contribute to their exciting community ownership plans.”

Langholm Initiative project leader Kevin Cumming said: “The support for our vision has been overwhelming. We can never thank the major donors and thousands of members of the public enough for their contributions. A team of dedicated people have worked tirelessly to achieve something special here – mostly volunteers, who continued to strive to make this happen against what at times felt like impossible odds. 

“Community ownership can be a catalyst for regeneration, which we want to show can be done with the environment at its heart. We hope the success here will encourage and inspire other communities in Scotland and across the UK. Realizing the full potential of community ownership will take time – and the hard work is really just about to begin.”

Other major funders to the buyout include South of Scotland Enterprise, John Muir Trust, Carman Family Foundation, and Garfield Weston Foundation.

Other leading charities that have supported the buyout include Borders Forest Trust, Rewilding Britain, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, and Trees for Life.

The Langholm Initiative, formed in 1994 as one of south Scotland’s first development trusts, facilitates projects making a lasting difference to the local area and people. See langholminitiative.org.uk.

ENDS

Timeline

* May 2019: Buccleuch Estates announces its decision to sell 25,000 acres of Langholm Moor and the Tarras Valley in its Borders Estate. 

* May 2020: The Langholm Initiative launches its campaign to purchase a large area of the moor, including through a public crowdfunder, and with the John Muir Trust donating £100,000.

* June 2020: Scottish Land Fund awards £1 million.

* August 2020: Carman Family Foundation pledges £500,000.

* August 2020: Hen Harrier Day – held online, and hosted by television presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin – raises around £10,000 for the buyout.

• Early September 2020: South of Scotland Enterprise announces up to £1 million support.

* Mid-September 2020: Garfield Weston Foundation pledges £300,000. Public crowdfunder passes £130,000.

* October: £500,000 secured from the Bently Foundation. Buccleuch Estates agrees purchase price of £3.8 million.

* End October: Public crowdfunder passes its £200,000 target. The Woodland Trust contributes £200,000 to take the overall funding appeal over the line. The community buyout is set to go ahead as the South of Scotland’s biggest community buyout in land value and area so far.

Press release from Wild Justice (30th October 2020)

Wild Justice secures an historic environmental legal victory

Just days away from facing a barrage of legal arguments in court (on 3 and 4 November) DEFRA has agreed to license the release of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges to control ecological damage to wildlife sites.  

Wild Justice mounted a legal challenge to make DEFRA review harmful gamebird impacts and introduce proper protection for wildlife sites and we have got DEFRA to address both.  There is more to do to make sure this regulation is made to stick but we have reached the limit of what the legal system can do at this stage. 

Wild Justice expects that a proper licensing system, compliant with the Habitats Directive, will require the following actions: 

• Adding the Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which contains species which cause ecological, environmental or socio-economic harm (such as Signal Crayfish, Grey Squirrel, Ruddy Duck, Japanese Knotweed).  This means that those species can only be released under licence.  
• Refusing to license gamebird releases on or within 1km of Natura 2000 sites unless stringent conditions on numbers of birds released are met.  
• A ban on the use of lead ammunition on or within 1km of all Natura 2000 sites. 
• Further research on impacts of predation by Pheasants on threatened reptiles such as Common Lizards and Adders. 
• Further assessment of the influence of gamebird droppings on soil and water chemistry. 
• Further monitoring of impacts of gamebird releases on densities of scavenging and predatory birds and mammals. 
• Monitoring by Natural England of a large number of sites to ascertain the extent of damage caused by non-native gamebirds.  

Wild Justice said: 

‘We’re delighted! And we thank our brilliant lawyers at Leigh Day and Matrix Chambers and hundreds of people who contributed to our crowdfunder which allowed us to take this case.

This is an historic environmental victory by the smallest wildlife NGO in the UK against the massed ranks of government lawyers, DEFRA, Natural England and the shooting industry.

Thanks to our legal challenge, the shooting industry faces its largest dose of regulation since a ban on the use of lead ammunition in wildfowling in England in 1999.  Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges are now recognised by government as problem species where their numbers are too high and they cause damage to vegetation, soils, invertebrates, reptiles etc.

This move forward was only possible because of the legal protection given to the environment by the EU Habitats Directive (incidentally, largely drafted by Stanley Johnson, father of the Prime Minister). On 1 January, at the end of the Transition Period, the Habitats Directive and other EU legislation will still be relevant to UK environmental protection but each government in the UK could, in theory and in practice, start amending those laws.  Society should be vigilant that environmental protection is not whittled away.

There is more to do in making sure this regulation is made to stick but we have reached the limit of what the legal system can do at this stage. We called for review of gamebird impacts and proper protection of wildlife sites and we have got DEFRA to address both’.

Notes:

1. Wild Justice is a not-for-profit company set up by Dr Mark Avery, Chris Packham CBE and Dr Ruth Tingay
2. Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges are non-native species which are bred in captivity and released in vast numbers (around 60 million a year) for recreational shooting. These birds are omnivores and their huge numbers can damage vegetation, fragile invertebrate communities and soils. Their droppings can affect soil and water chemistry. They may spread diseases to native wildlife. They provide abundant food for some predator and scavengers whose elevated population levels may then affect other species.
3. Natura 2000 sites are those designated under the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive, and form some of the most important sites for nature conservation in the UK. 
4. BASC described the Wild Justice legal challenge as ‘an attack on shooting’, ‘vexatious’ and ‘deeply flawed’ back in January and pledged to fight the legal action.

ENDS

A press release from Wild Justice’s legal team at Leigh Day can be read here

For more information on this case and other Wild Justice legal challenges, both current and forthcoming, check out the Wild Justice blog (here) and subscribe to the free Wild Justice newsletter (here).

Last year, campaign group Wild Justice launched a legal challenge against DEFRA over the unregulated annual release of 50+ million gamebirds (pheasant and re-legged partridge) in to the English countryside (see here).

Permission was granted to Wild Justice for a judicial review after a judge dismissed DEFRA’s claim earlier this year that the case was ‘premature and academic’ (see here) and the court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Meanwhile, this legal challenge was discussed on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today programme this morning. You can listen here (the last 5 mins of the programme) and this clip is available for the next 29 days.

DEFRA was asked to comment and was quoted as saying a statement is imminent…..

For more information on this case and other Wild Justice legal challenges, both current and forthcoming, check out the Wild Justice blog (here) and subscribe to the free Wild Justice newsletter (here).

Supermarket Sainsbury’s has a new product on sale this autumn – a mixed game casserole, which apparently is made of 50% venison and 50% pheasant and red legged partridge:

[All photos by Ruth Tingay]

It’s being produced by a company called Holme Farm Venison, a company based in North Yorkshire that specialises in venison but also sells gamebirds.

According to the packaging, this product is ‘endorsed’ (ahem) by the British Game Alliance (BGA), whose ‘kitemark’ is stamped on the front:

Some of you may remember the British Game Alliance. It was created a couple of years ago as ‘the official marketing board for the UK game industry’ and claims on its website, ‘Through our ‘British Game’ assurance scheme we can ensure the provenance of our game meets rigorous and ethical standards‘.

Sounds good, right? Well, it does until you start digging in to the details – see here and here for earlier blogs about the BGA and some of its, let’s call them ‘interesting’, members.

It seems that accuracy and transparency is still an issue for the BGA – where it previously had listed some of its so-called ‘accredited’ members, it has now removed the list from the website:

However, all is not lost if you know where to look. Here’s an example of the BGA logo being advertised on the Guns on Pegs website. This screengrab is the entry for the Bransdale Estate in North Yorkshire, where a police investigation is on-going after the discovery earlier this year of five dead buzzards shoved under a rock, four of them confirmed shot (here) –

It’d be interesting to know whether Sainsbury’s has taken the BGA ‘assurance’ at face value or whether it has actually demanded transparency from its supplier, Holme Farm Venison, and asked from which estates, exactly, it has sourced the pheasants and partridge for this new game casserole.

According to a press release from the BGA last week (see here), the BGA ‘stamp of assurance gives consumers confidence in the traceability, sustainability and quality of the game they eat‘. Really? Well then Sainsbury’s will have no trouble telling its customers all about the exact provenance of these gamebirds.

Which is just as well, because Holme Farm Venison seems a little bit confused about where they’ve come from. Its website first says “all its game products are supplied from our local gamekeeper” (ah, isn’t that all homely and lovely):

But when you actually look at the details of its gamebird products (pheasants and red legged partridge) it says they are supplied by a ‘fully licensed game supplier’:

Who’s that, then? And can they tell us the names of the estates from where these gamebirds have been shot? According to the BGA press release ‘an estimated half a million birds will find their way in to this product‘ – that’s one very busy gamekeeper! The packaging says the birds have been sourced from ‘Traditional UK Estates’ – who’s that?

And talking of shot……lead shot….toxic lead shot…..have these pheasants and partridge been shot with toxic lead ammunition? And if so, how is Sainsbury’s warning its customers that there is no safe level of lead consumption and that consuming lead is especially harmful to children and pregnant women?

Here’s what it says on the packaging:

“Our game is wild, and whilst every effort is made to remove shot from the meat, please be aware, some may remain“.

That’s quite a statement. It doesn’t mention that those ‘wild’ gamebirds have probably been bred, pumped with antibiotics and released in to the British countryside to be shot with toxic lead ammunition. It doesn’t even mention lead! Perhaps they haven’t been shot with toxic lead ammunition after all?

Shall we ask Sainsbury’s? There’s a slogan on Sainsbury’s website that says, ‘We want to be the UK’s most trusted retailer’. Well then there’ll be no problem answering questions about the provenance of these gamebirds and whether they contain toxic lead ammunition, will there?

Emails to: press_office@sainsburys.co.uk

UPDATE 3 November 2020: Sainsbury’s not alerting customers to health risk of eating toxic gamebirds (here)

UPDATE 23 November 2020: Sainsbury’s refuses to address concerns about selling potentially toxic gamebirds (here)

Press release from the Revive Coalition for grouse moor reform (28 October 2020)

Campaigners launch spoof Dragons’ Den film ridiculing grouse shooting industry

#GovernmentsDen video shown to MSPs in exclusive preview

MSPs have been given an exclusive preview of a spoof Dragons’ Den film, highlighting the weakness of the arguments in favour of managed grouse moors in Scotland.

Government’s Den imagines a world where grouse shooting doesn’t exist and puts two lobbyists in front of the dragons, arguing for up to a fifth of Scotland to be managed for the sport. The film sees the lobbyists put forward their case for ownership of a huge part of Scotland in return for a 0.02% contribution to the economy, with only ‘a few Government subsidies’ required. They also argue that they will use predator control to systematically wipe out all species that pose a threat to grouse to enable them to cultivate tens of thousands of game birds to be shot for entertainment.

The campaigning film is the brainchild of Revive, the campaign for grouse moor reform. It’s Campaign Manager, Max Wiszniewski said: “The video is intended to be taken tongue in cheek, but behind the humour is a very serious issue. Driven grouse shooting is an intensively managed bloodsport which depends on turning vast swathes of Scotland into barren monocultures. The circle of destruction which surrounds grouse moor causes untold suffering to many thousands of animals, depletes our peat reserves and causes environmental damage on an industrial scale.

The Revive coalition has alternative visions for our moors to address the environmental crisis in our countryside caused by intensively managed grouse moors and we hope this video will raise awareness of these issues and show just how ridiculous the current situation is.”

To find out if the lobbyists win over the dragons with their arguments watch the video below.

ENDS