Tim Bonner: Licences for Scottish grouse moors

Yesterday the Scottish government announced that it intends to bring forward legislation to license driven grouse shooting if it retains power after the Scottish elections in May. Environment Minister Mairi Gougeon was responding to the report of the Grouse Moor Management Group headed up by Professor Alan Werritty. The 'Werritty Review' had recommended that a licensing scheme should be introduced within five years unless there is an increase in the populations of specific raptors on grouse moors. The Scottish government has, however, decided to ignore that recommendation and implemented licensing immediately. The Minister also said the Scottish government planned to regulate the use of medicated grit, and to license muirburn, or heather burning.

This seems odd given that neither the Government, nor the RSPB, has produced any statistics which suggest that raptor persecution on grouse moors, which the Minister was clear was the driving issue, is either widespread or growing. What is clear, however, is that allegations about raptor persecution are growing and the reality of modern politics is that how many times something is stated is often more persuasive than the veracity of a statement.

The Scottish government has a track record of commissioning reviews and then ignoring their recommendations as students of Lord Bonomy's review into hunting legislation will know, but whilst it can ignore the findings of its reports, the Scottish government cannot ignore its legal responsibilities or practical realities. It is a great shame that Ministers have not listened to the voices of rural communities and businesses and are seeking to impose another layer of red tape that is out of all proportion but if it is determined to do so it must produce a workable licensing system.

The Scottish Government has said that moorland managers have "nothing to fear" from its plans. If that is to be the case, whilst a new layer of regulation is unnecessary, estates that are properly run and operating to high standards should continue to be able to operate very much as they are now, and licence holders must be protected from spurious claims from people who are more interested in ending grouse shooting than they are in the conservation of Scotland's countryside. If Ministers fail to deliver that they will not only have ignored the recommendations of the Werritty Review, but also launched an unjustified attack on the rural community.