Grouse shoots must now be licensed after Scottish Government changes law
A new era for grouse moor management began today as the Glorious Twelfth, the official start of the season, got underway with a new licensing scheme imposed across the country.
Following legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament in March, moors now need to apply for a licence to shoot grouse and comply with a raft of other regulations.
Each licence runs for a period of five years and applications for the new regime were opened by NatureScot in mid-July.
Many estates have yet to apply for their licence due to uncertainty over mapping requirements as part of the application process but rural business organisation, Scottish Land & Estates, said they were hopeful that positive dialogue with NatureScot would address those challenges and resolve the matter soon.
Estates are expecting a significantly curtailed season after wet weather in the spring led to unfavourable breeding conditions for grouse, Ross Ewing, director of moorland at Scottish Land and Estates, said: “Today’s shooting also looks to be impacted by rain and storms in some part of the country.”
Despite challenging weather conditions, parties from across the UK and internationally are still expected to visit Scotland in the months ahead, providing a significant economic boost to hoteliers, hospitality and retail businesses in some of Scotland’s most remote glens and villages.
In addition, the continuation of moorland management by estates year-round brings with it considerable trade for other local rural businesses, including garages and various tradespeople.
Mr Ewing added: “The licensing regime is the biggest change to grouse shooting in generations and we are entering into a new era for those involved in the sector.
“We had to work hard to ensure the legislation was as proportionate and workable as possible for moor owners and gamekeepers and we believe this has been achieved in most respects. We are encountering challenges regarding the maps that are required by NatureScot to accompany licence applications but we are hopeful this can be resolved soon.”
He explained: “Research commissioned by the Scottish Government has found that grouse moor management delivers more for rural economies and communities than other comparable land uses. We also know that moors have a huge role to play in protecting fragile habitat, whilst peer-reviewed science is demonstrating that vulnerable and threatened species such as the Eurasian Curlew can produce four times as many chicks on grouse moors than on unmanaged moorland.
“The Scottish Government is on record as firmly supporting the positive role that grouse moors play for people, jobs and nature and we want to work with them and other stakeholders to sustain those benefits as the new regime gets underway.”
Mr Ewing added that despite the quieter forecast for the season ahead, many shoots would still be taking place.
“The weather in May and early June was wet and cool across much of Scotland, leading to challenging breeding conditions for grouse and other ground-nesting birds. As a result, grouse have not bred particularly well in many areas which has led to the sustainable surplus of birds being smaller than it otherwise would be.
“To that end, we are expecting a quieter season in the months ahead but we know many estates will still be entertaining guests from across the UK and abroad, bringing many social and economic benefits to rural Scotland as a result. We forecast that there will be more walked-up shoots taking place this year which remain a big draw across some majestic landscapes.”
