Category: News

I’ll come back to the exclusive report on Channel 4 News this evening about gamekeepers caught plotting to kill, and then killing, a hen harrier on a grouse moor in Northern England. There’s a lot to say!

Meanwhile, the RSPB has just published its latest Birdcrime Report (2023), which provides a summary of raptor persecution crimes across the UK over the last 15 years (2009-2023).

Here’s the RSPB press release:

Illegal bird of prey killing must end, demands RSPB Birdcrime report

• The Birdcrime report, which reviews the past 15 years, reveals that at least 1,344 birds of prey were illegally killed between 2009-2023, with crimes continuing to emerge. These criminal acts target threatened species including Golden Eagles, Goshawks and Hen Harriers.
• The majority of incidents are associated with land managed for gamebird shooting.
• The RSPB is calling for significant legislative change across the UK to stop bird of prey persecution.

The RSPB is calling for an end to the relentless illegal killing of birds of prey in a new report, which documents 15 years of criminal slaughter. 

The Birdcrime report, published today (22 October), reveals that between 2009-2023 there were 1,529 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents involving 1,344 individual birds of prey. These include rare and threatened species such as Golden Eagles, Hen Harriers, Peregrines, White-tailed Eagles and Goshawks.

These latest figures reveal that crimes are being committed on a considerable scale year-on-year. Worryingly, they represent just the tip of the iceberg as many of these incidents take place in unpopulated areas where they go unseen and unreported to the authorities, and as a result there is no consequence for these illegal acts.

Many of the victims were killed in brutal ways. In 2022, a Hen Harrier was found dead near the border of Yorkshire and Cumbria; the post-mortem examination concluded that its head had been pulled from its body while still alive.

Raptor persecution is having a direct impact on species that are already struggling. Two young White-tailed Eagles – a species slowly recovering having been wiped out in the UK by persecution in the last century – were found dead in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in 2023. Analysis confirmed that both eagles had died by ingesting Bendiocarb, a highly toxic insecticide. Laying poisoned baits, which are incredibly dangerous to people and pets, is illegal, yet a common technique used to kill birds of prey.  

The majority of raptor persecution incidents are associated with land managed for gamebird shooting, where some individuals deliberately target birds of prey to maximise the number of gamebirds available to shoot for sport.

Scientific studies reach the same conclusion. A landmark paper (Ewing et al, 2023) published in Biological Conservation revealed that the illegal killing of Hen Harriers associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of Hen Harrier annual mortality.

And of all people convicted of bird of prey persecution-related offences between 2009 and 2023, 75% were connected to the gamebird shooting industry. All birds of prey are protected by law, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Yet in the past 15 years, only one person has been jailed. Current laws are not serving as an effective deterrent or punishment for these crimes.

For decades the RSPB Investigations Team has challenged bird of prey persecution by detecting and recording crimes and assisting with police investigations.

The RSPB also uses satellite tag technology to shine a light on the scale of persecution faced by Hen Harriers. The real-time data received from these tags gives previously unknown insights into where the birds go and, crucially, when and where they die. It has revealed that more Hen Harriers were killed or disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2023 than in any previous year.

To end this culture of criminality, the RSPB is calling for the licencing of all gamebird shooting across the UK by the government in Westminster and all of the devolved administrations, building on the work already started in Scotland to licence grouse shooting. 

Mark Thomas, RSPB UK Head of Investigations, said: 

“Our latest report harrowingly details what the team sees on a day-to-day basis: the scale of raptor persecution, where it is happening and who is responsible. In the last 15 years, a minimum of 1344 amazing birds like Hen Harriers, Red Kites and eagles have been deliberately killed, the majority in connection with gamebird shooting – that’s a national disgrace which requires urgent government action. If we are to save birds like the highly threatened Hen Harrier, then the current legislation is clearly not enough: we need licencing of gamebird shooting throughout the UK, stronger penalties and meaningful sentencing to stop these crimes and save our wildlife.”

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act, passed in March 2024, means all grouse shoots in Scotland require a licence to operate, and that this licence could be revoked if a crime is committed. This progressive legislation will help ensure legal and sustainable management across a significant area of upland Scotland and introduces a much-needed deterrent for those who kill birds of prey for economic reasons. 

Beccy Speight, RSPB Chief Executive, said: 

“For decades, the RSPB has investigated hundreds of cases of illegal bird of prey persecution in the UK. A significant proportion of these incidents happen on or near land associated with gamebird shooting. The RSPB is calling on the Westminster Government and all devolved administrations across the UK to introduce the licencing of gamebird shooting. This progressive step will help challenge the relentless killing of our birds of prey and help to safeguard their future survival.”

ENDS

The RSPB’s Birdcrime 2023 report can be read/downloaded here:

The Appendices for Birdcrime 2023 can be read/downloaded here:

An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N5, ‘Bird Flu’) has been detected in 20 released pheasants, according to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

The outbreak was reported on APHA’s weekly updated database (here) and is recorded as being found in week 39, which was 23-29 September 2024, in the Wychavon District of Worcestershire.

The APHA database shows this is the most serious outbreak reported this year, with all the other reports showing that only between 1-5 birds (seabirds, waterfowl and raptors) have been affected at any one location since January 2024.

However, due to the idiotic legal status of pheasants, referred to as Shrodinger’s Pheasant by Wild Justice, it is understood that because these pheasants have been released and are thus currently considered ‘wild‘ (i.e. no longer dependent on a gamekeeper for food/water/shelter), no HPAI control zones have been put in place to help stop the disease from spreading.

Marvellous.

It’d be good to think that the shoot concerned has made the sensible decision to close the shoot for the rest of the season to help stop the disease from spreading via birds fleeing from the beaters and guns, via gundogs, via shooters’ boots and vehicle tyres etc. But given there’s no legal obligation, what’s the betting the shoot is continuing?

UPDATE 17 October 2024: This blog post inspired a feature in The Guardian today (here).

The long-running trial of prominent falconer and eagle breeder Andrew Knowles-Brown, 69, from Elvanfoot, Scotland concluded at Lanark Sheriff Court yesterday where he was found guilty of multiple offences relating to the welfare of approx 90 eagles and some parrots at his breeding facility, the Scottish Eagle Centre.

This was the second trial Knowles-Brown had faced – in February 2023 he was cleared of all charges at Lanark Sheriff Court in relation to the alleged mistreatment of ten imported White-bellied sea eagles at the Scottish Eagle Centre (see here).

However, for reasons that are still unclear to me, the charges facing Knowles- Brown were split into two separate trials, with the second trial focusing on allegations of causing unnecessary suffering to a number of eagle species, failing to ensure the welfare of a number of parrots, and failing to ensure the welfare of approx 90 eagles. Knowles-Brown, and his fellow accused, Alan Rothery, 65, had denied all the charges.

The charges against Rothery were not proven but Knowles-Brown was found guilty of all charges except one (in relation to the welfare of a golden eagle). He was found to have caused unnecessary suffering to the eagles and parrots and to have failed to protect them from injury, suffering and disease between June and December 2019.

Many of the birds were found in squalid caged conditions where they were unable to exhibit natural behaviour and had no access to clean water.

This investigation has been ongoing for five years, since the Scottish SPCA and Police Scotland raided the Scottish Eagle Centre in January 2019 amidst concerns for the welfare of the eagles being bred by Knowles-Brown.

Eagle expert Dave Anderson from the Scottish Raptor Study Group attended the raid to safely catch and handle any birds that the vets wanted to inspect. Following the end of the trial yesterday, Dave commented:

 “I was genuinely shocked at how the birds were being kept. Long rows of golden eagles tethered on bow perches, which had clearly been there for some time and allowed limited movement other than a hop from ground to perch. 

The blocks of box profile cages running parallel to each other were reminiscent of some old Victorian film and reminded me of jail cells or a lunatic asylum. 

Different species of  eagle were housed next to each other, some noisy like the sea eagles of which there were many, next to  Aquila eagles such as Golden and Verreauxs, where calling and screams from their neighbours, the only light was upwards! To me nothing could be more depressing.

I came in to the yard where an African fish eagle was calling through the bars of its caged window, with no water and feet deep of unused food and faeces. The door was locked so we couldn’t gain entry, and no key was found to enter that cage.

We moved around finding squalid conditions in all corners, rat cages in the drains. We moved to yet another section where we found a Tawny eagle on the floor of an aviary where 2 other eagles were defecating on top of it, the grounded eagle had no where to go, this bird could not open its foot and its wings were severely damaged. I caught and held this bird so it could be assessed by an avian vet. I held this poor eagle as it was put to sleep. What a sad waste of a life, this bird had clearly been suffering for some time.   

In my opinion, none of this obsession was to benefit eagle conservation, this seemed to be for profit and profit only by someone who claims to care and know about eagles. I have worked with wild eagles for more than 40 years, I still really cant put in to words just how such a facility and the conditions all those poor eagles were made to live in, make me feel. I am extremely angry about what I saw but hopefully some form of justice will be handed down to Mr Knowles-Brown for the suffering he presided over for so long.  

It’s taken 5 long years for the guilty verdicts to be handed down, I only hope that the decision is made to rehome all the eagles to people who can genuinely give them a life of stimulation and some freedom which they deserve“.

In court yesterday, Sheriff Diane Turner said:

“It is blindingly obvious to me that there were some really significant issues with the overall standards in the facility and I’m satisfied that it did cause a risk to the welfare of the birds and that they did suffer because of that.”

Knowles-Brown will be sentenced next month and the Sheriff is reportedly considering whether to disqualify him from keeping birds. If suitable homes cannot be found for the eagles it is unlikely that Knowles-Brown will be disqualified. If anyone reading this has suitable facilities, please contact the Scottish SPCA.

Knowles-Brown is a prominent figure in the falconry world, having served as the Chair of the Scottish Hawk Board and Vice-Chair of the UK Hawk Board.

The Hawk Board, which enjoys close ties with the Countryside Alliance, represents falconers, hawk-keepers and falconry clubs and provides welfare guidelines for those keeping raptors in captivity.

It also engages in political lobbying (e.g. it was against the Scottish Government’s decision to afford the Mountain Hare full legal protection) and Knowles-Brown himself has provided evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee when it was considering its draft Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill.

UPDATE 6th January 2025: Sentencing for convicted eagle breeder Andrew Knowles-Brown delayed until June 2025 (here).

UPDATE 15 October 2025: Prominent falconer Andrew Knowles-Brown fined almost £14,000 for ‘shocking’ animal cruelty (here)

Press release from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology), 14th October 2024:

BTO is seeking volunteers across Wales to help locate and observe birds of prey, particularly within the country’s Protected Areas. This unique project, named Cudyll Cymru (part of a new Welsh Raptor monitoring initiative), will build a network of dedicated volunteers to monitor the health and habitats of four widespread raptor species: Buzzard, Kestrel, Red Kite and Sparrowhawk, along with one crow species, the Raven.

Raptors are critical to the health of ecosystems, acting as top predators. Their sensitivity to changes in prey availability, habitat conditions, and climate makes them pivotal for researchers when detecting and monitoring environmental shifts.

The five chosen species covered by the study are widespread across Wales, and relatively familiar to most residents:

Common Buzzard
A large bird of prey, these can be seen in a wide range of habitats. Their preferred food includes Rabbits and other small animals and birds, carrion, insects and earthworms.

Kestrel
These pigeon-sized falcons are frequently seen hovering over fields and roadside verges, searching for voles, mice and other small mammals.

Red Kite
Once threatened with extinction, these majestic birds can now be seen in many parts of Wales following successful, targeted conservation efforts. Primarily a scavenger, Red Kites mainly eat carrion, along with small animals and birds.

Sparrowhawk
Another pigeon-sized raptor, these dashing hawks feed almost entirely on other birds. Mainly confined to woodlands, Sparrowhawks will also regularly visit gardens and parks.

Raven
The largest member of the crow family, Ravens are not strictly raptors but share many characteristics of birds of prey. These distinctive birds will eat a wide range of food from berries to carrion, as well as small animals and birds.
The study will collect data to assess raptor and Raven population trends and breeding success, with a particular focus on Wales’ Protected Area network, which includes Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

This information will be vital in supporting conservation strategies and for informing government commitments to wildlife protection, especially as Wales faces ecological pressures from land use and climate change.

How to Get Involved

BTO is seeking volunteers of all levels of experience to join Cudyll Cymru. You only need to identify at least one of the key species and count the birds, nests, or territories in your chosen ‘patch’. Training will be provided through bird identification videos, written guides, and 1-on-1 mentoring. Flexible participation means you can contribute as little as two hours a month, making it easy to fit into your schedule.

Core surveys run from March through August, with data submitted through an easy-to-use online portal. Volunteers will receive full support, ensuring a smooth and rewarding experience.

Cudyll Cymru officially launches in January 2025, but you can register your interest now to be among the first to start monitoring.
For more information and to sign up, visit the project webpage at:

• www.bto.org/cudyll-cymru-english
• www.bto.org/cudyll-cymru-cymraeg

Charlotte Griffiths, Welsh Raptor Monitoring Coordinator – Project Lead, said: “The five species we’re focusing on are significantly under-reported, and the data collected through these surveys will provide crucial insights into their breeding populations across Wales. In developing and supporting a future network of monitors, we’re taking great strides in securing the future of Welsh raptors.”

Dr Callum Macgregor, Senior Research Ecologist at BTO Cymru, added, “Participating in bird surveys is a wonderfully rewarding way to spend time outdoors. Anyone can take part and make an important contribution to conservation. We hope that Cudyll Cymru will provide the opportunity for lots of people to experience this for the first time, gaining valuable skills and knowledge in the process.”

This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.

ENDS

This is a guest blog written by conservation campaigner Bob Berzins who has featured previously on this blog here, here, here, here, here and here.

Huge swathes of England’s Pennine uplands are managed for grouse shooting, an activity that benefits a handful of people but has a negative effect on millions more – those living downwind and downstream and the global community affected by carbon emissions.

In a biodiversity and nature emergency these uplands are robbed of life and the most glaring example is continued wholesale persecution of raptors and the land itself has been degraded over the last 200 years where ownership has often remained in the same family. Right now we pay those landowning families millions in subsidies and millions more in restoration grants in an attempt to put right the damage they’ve done – but the damage continues. There has to be a better way. In this blog I’ll make the case for compulsory purchase of land that’s being managed to the detriment of local communities.

The English Devolution Bill is due to be debated in Westminster parliament this autumn. The proposals will empower local communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets. The examples given are mainly urban but Labour activists and many others have been calling for sweeping changes to land ownership.

This piece by Labour Councillor Minesh Parekh was written when he was part of Olivia Blake’s team in a shadow Defra role. George Monbiot, Guy Shrubsole and others wrote Land For the Many in 2019 where they propose a structure to enable community ownership using the example of the moors above Hebden Bridge where, “The community could reasonably argue that such land serves a more important public purpose as a natural flood defence than as a grouse shoot”.

Mark Avery argues for public ownership in Reflections and Guy Shrubsole expands on this in Lie of the Land.

These books are important because they firmly put the case for the benefits changes in ownership will bring. An example of how this might work in practice is the community fundraising and management of Tarras Valley which has shown how to bring life to a depleted grouse moor.

I live in Sheffield where grouse moors lie within the city boundary, just a few miles from the homes of half a million people and everything that happens on that moorland affects our lives.

These moors could provide huge benefits, locally and globally, but instead they are failing by the Government’s own measure. We deserve better and to add to that sense of injustice ownership of these uplands was wrenched away from the community to become the sole property of one person, usually The Lord of the Manor.

The Enclosure or Inclosure Acts 1790 – 1830

During this period MPs were largely rich, aristocratic landowners and they voted through a series of individual Acts of Parliament where moors, waste and commons were shared out between themselves.

In what is now Sheffield, the Duke of Norfolk received most land – from lowland sites where steelworks were eventually constructed, to uplands which soon became grouse shoots such as Hallam moors which is now part of the Moscar Estate. Other beneficiaries included Earl Fitzwilliam who ended up with Bradfield moors and this family are still the owners today.

The land marked here includes the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate to the east and Howden Moors owned by the Duke of Devonshire which is now part of National Trust High Peak Estate. The preservation by the Game Association has left a legacy of dry, denuded moorland in unfavourable condition.

It took at least six individual enclosure acts for the Duke of Rutland to get hold of the Sheffield Eastern moors and a hundred years later we have death duties to thank for the sale of this estate which eventually led to ownership by the National Trust, Sheffield Council and the National Park Authority – land which is now managed for the benefit of us all (see Eastern Moors Partnership).

But it seems the Rutlands couldn’t bear to be without a grouse moor and they bought Moscar Estate from the snuff making Wilson family in 2016 who had acquired the land from the Duke of Norfolk in 1897. The other large estate overlooking Sheffield is Broomhead where a different Wilson family have been in residence since the 1300s, again benefitting from enclosure to get their hands on the moors.

The Dukes of Norfolk, Rutland and Earl Fitzwilliam were and remain some of the richest and most powerful landowners in the country. Over the centuries aristocratic family names have changed slightly but the property portfolios haven’t and it was the Enclosure Acts which defined their ownership of the uplands (Source: David Hey – A History of the Peak District Moors).

It’s worth noting that whilst the Fitzwilliams were enjoying their grouse shooting 36 miners died in their Elsecar collieries between 1868 and 1895. The Fitzwilliams owned not just the collieries but the surrounding land and miners cottages as well – so they pretty much owned the workers themselves.

The Grouse Moors are in an atrocious state – Who takes ownership for that?

This is land with the highest conservation designations – Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Areas for wildlife and Special Areas of Conservation for habitat. Light green means the SSSI has favourable condition. Dark green means unfavourable recovering and pale red means unfavourable no change. Many of the unfavourable recovering sites haven’t been surveyed since 2011 when austerity slashed Natural England’s budget and the few remaining staff rarely visited these sites. The units were given recovering status because of new stewardship agreements which were supposedly going to transform the land but this hasn’t happened. Very clearly these moors are failing.

If we look at the units in pale red which have been surveyed recently, Middle Moss (94) is on the Broomhead Estate and the site visit refers to restoration work – in 2016/17 Broomhead received £530,922 (source FOI) in capital grants for restoration of this unit and others as well as around £2 million over a ten year period in Stewardship funding, mainly to improve conservation.

Surely such expensive restoration work on Middle Moss would result in a huge improvement and we’d now be seeing the benefits? No, the assessment is ‘unfavourable no change’. This land has been in the same family for 200 years – two centuries of burning and drainage to dry the whole landscape and promote a monoculture of heather can’t be undone with a half million pound tranche of restoration money. It’s left to the taxpayer to provide a bottomless pit of money to repair this damage.

Is the atrocious state of Grouse Moors limited to the Peak District?

The Duke of Devonshire’s family have owned Bolton Abbey Estate since 1748. Located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it’s been largely assessed as ‘unfavourable declining’ condition (bright red) in the screen grab below:

The Barden Moor unit assessment in 2024 states, “activities relating to grouse management are impacting throughout”. And on Thorpe Fell, “Blanket bog in this unit appears relatively dry and there is a notable lack of sphagnum cover / species… Rewetting, re-vegetating exposed peat and reduction in the intensity of / location of grouse management activities would all likely see an improvement in the condition of both dry heath and blanket bog in this unit.”

In this area of the Yorkshire Dales, grouse management has resulted in dry moors which are unfavourable condition and declining. Managed to death, this huge area of moorland is failing under its current owners.

Grouse moor management is still a constant brake on improvement

Back in the Peak District, Moscar Estate also received huge sums for restoration – £348,800 in 2016/17 but Black Hole Moor unit 109 was assessed as ‘unfavourable no change’ in 2022 and previous “Hot Burns” are one of the contributing factors.

When burning was allowed on this blanket bog the management plan specified “Cool Burns” leaving much of the vegetation intact. Natural England issued the estate with a warning letter in 2016 after I complained about Hot Burns (removing all the vegetation) but that’s the limit of their monitoring.

This year I attended a public inquiry where a Natural England Manager said he’d been tasked with replying to my complaint about the Hot Burns on 9^th October 2023 when Sheffield filled with smoke. He described me as a pain in the neck, but apparently at least I kept them honest.

Well I still haven’t had a reply and it seems that Natural England’s historical failure to monitor and act over illegal Hot Burns has led to the ‘unfavourable condition’ of this conservation unit. We all suffer as a result of that because an ‘unfavourable’ assessment means rainfall is flooding downstream and carbon is flooding into the atmosphere. Grouse moor managers know that dry, heather-dominated moors have provided ideal conditions for a huge number of grouse over the last 200 years and they’re not going to give that up.

Natural Flood Management

Sheffield suffered catastrophic flooding in June 2007. The moors are the highest part of the catchment – the area with highest rainfall. Seventeen years on there’s been some progress but nowhere near enough.

The Environment Agency and partners are starting to look at flood prevention measures. But crucially nobody has come up with a coherent plan of how to manage all moorland to provide the best mitigation against flooding. If blanket bog is still in ‘unfavourable’ condition that means the gully blocking has not transformed the landscape. The dams need to create mounds of sphagnum and a wider habitat where the water table is at the surface year round. And there’s still 50% of moorland on thinner peat soils – Dry Heath.

I’d say this is the worst possible management to prevent flooding yet this type of burning is usually described as essential by moorland owners. Under current arrangements there’s zero chance of seeing trees, scrub, more varied vegetation and measures to retain and increase peat coverage such as we’re seeing on blanket bog.   

As well as the very obvious failure to prevent, police and prosecute raptor persecution, the same can be said of illegal burning on deep peat supposedly prohibited by The Heather and Grass Burning Regulations from October 2021.

We’ve had two token prosecutions (here) and (here) which did nothing to prevent alleged illegal burning on Fitzwilliam Estate over the last three seasons – all logged with Natural England and Defra. Another example of grouse moor managers desperately trying to maintain dry, heather dominated moors and apparently another example of our authorities looking the other way.

Conclusion

Two hundred years of grouse moor management is a major factor in the dire state of these uplands yet the taxpayer continues to fund practices which harm local and wider communities. We are paying for this land over and over, through subsidies and grants yet it remains the property of a handful of individuals. This is land which was wrenched away from the community and it needs to be taken back to provide benefits for us all.

Extending community ‘right to buy’ to moorlands is a start but we need more – a programme of moorlands coming under state ownership through compulsory purchase if necessary.

Who would manage this state owned land for the benefit of us all? Natural England is an obvious candidate but it would take a ban on grouse shooting for them to do the job effectively and honestly – the reach and influence of the grouse industry is simply too great at the moment.

If this seems like an impossibly high goal, land reform will be discussed and debated in Westminster and the impacts of climate change cannot be ignored forever. There has been probably five consecutive years of poor to non-existent grouse shooting in the Peak District the southernmost and warmest grouse area and extreme weather events and weather patterns are becoming normal. We need urgent, drastic action to put things right.

Please start by lobbying your MP over the English Devolution Bill. And if you want to hear more about all this Guy Shrubsole is doing a speaking tour with his new book.    

ENDS

REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform, is hosting it’s annual national conference at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 10th November 2024 and the full programme has now been announced.

Press release from REVIVE:

Big Land Question Conference to Tackle Land Reform

• Actor David Hayman to co-host conference with Lesley Riddoch on 10 November in Perth.
• The conference will launch a year-long programme of independent research to gather robust data on what the Scottish people want land reform to deliver.
• The big question at the core of the conference is why do just 433 individuals own half of Scotland’s private land?

The REVIVE Coalition is set to launch ‘The Big Land Question’ campaign at a landmark conference in Perth next month that will address the pressing issue of land reform in Scotland.

Co-chaired by actor David Hayman alongside journalist and broadcaster Dr Lesley Riddoch, the event will take place at a time of increasing public demand for more ambitious land reform policies.

The question at the core of the conference is the fact that just 433 individuals control half of Scotland’s private land, an imbalance that has far-reaching consequences for local communities, wildlife and the environment.

The need to change patterns of land ownership was highlighted by a 2019 review by SRUC commissioned by the Scottish Land Commission. The review stated that concentrated land ownership was causing “significant and long-term damage to the communities affected”, and that the economic benefits from scale of ownership tend to benefit the landowner rather than communities.

David Hayman underscored the significance of the conference, commenting: 

“For too long, Scotland’s land has been in the hands of the few. The Big Land Question is about bringing people together – from activists and policymakers to those directly impacted – to ask the tough questions about what land reform means in practice. This is an important conference with a provocative and inspiring programme. Ultimately, it’s about fairness and how we ensure that Scotland’s land benefits the many.

“Access to land and decisions about how it’s used affect so many aspects of Scottish life, from housing and the economy to recreation and wellbeing. The highly concentrated nature of Scotland’s land ownership is a roadblock to unlocking the potential prosperity of our nation’s natural resources. We need bold, innovative solutions and more ambition in our policy approach, and this conference is where those conversations will happen. We’ve got a real chance to drive change and this could be the turning point for Scotland’s people, wildlife and environment we’ve been looking for. I’m proud to be part of it.”

The one-day conference in Perth is being organised by REVIVE – a coalition of environmental, social justice and animal welfare organisations – and it features a diverse panel of prominent speakers including Andy Wightman, author, land reform campaigner and former MSP who recently revealed that research shows the Duke of Buccleuch has been responsible for redistributing more land in the last five years than Scottish Government has managed in 25 years of devolution, although this has been costly for communities.

The largest of the Buccleuch land holdings to move into community ownership is Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, a former grouse moor near Langholm, and Estate Manager Jenny Barlow will also speak at the conference. She will be joined by Kevin Cumming, Director of Rewilding Britain, Donna Smith, Chief Executive of the Scottish Crofting Federation, and Michael Russell, Chair of the Scottish Land Commission. Participating political figures include Rhoda Grant MSP (Scottish Labour) and Arianne Burgess MSP (Scottish Green Party), both representing the Highlands and Islands, and a Scottish Government Minister is also expected to attend.

Max Wiszniewski, Campaign Manager for the REVIVE Coalition, said: 

“This conference comes at a pivotal moment where there is growing recognition that the current patterns of land ownership are holding back Scotland. Our polling data demonstrates strong public support for policies that would limit the amount of land any one person or business can own, increase community ownership, and ensure that land use aligns with climate and biodiversity goals.

“The Big Land Question conference will provide a platform for serious discussion on how to address these demands, and it will launch a campaign of independent research with the aim of enhancing and informing policy development to create a more democratic, fair, and sustainable vision for Scotland’s land.”

Polling carried out for the REVIVE Coalition and Community Land Scotland by the Diffley Partnership in May this year showed that a clear majority of Scots want land reform policies to go much further than the land reform bill currently proposed by the Scottish Government. The new year-long programme of research will build on those initial findings, using a combination of surveys and moderated stakeholder roundtables to provide rich data and insights that will be shared with political parties and policy makers.

The suffocating impact of Scotland’s concentrated land ownership was also evident in research by Biggar Economics, published last year and commissioned by Scottish Land and Estates. The report identified that 1125 rural estates take up approximately 4.1 million hectares, and found that while this equates to around 57% of Scotland’s rural land, they:

• Account for less than 2% of the value of the Scottish economy, a level assessed as “trivial” by the report authors
• Account for just 1 in 10 rural jobs
• Provide only around 3% of rural homes and build around 1% of new homes built in rural areas each year

The research also noted that only a quarter of estates self-report that they actively contribute to community empowerment.

Max Wiszniewski added:

“While members of the REVIVE Coalition welcome the work done on land reform so far, the current Land Reform (Scotland) Bill lacks ambition and does not align with the expectations of the Scottish people. We look forward to The Big Land Question conference and campaign shining a spotlight on opportunities to transform Scotland’s pattern of increasingly concentrated land ownership for good.”

The Big Land Question Conference takes place on Sunday 10^th November at Perth Concert Hall. Tickets cost £8 (£5 concession) and are available from the venue HERE.

ENDS