Red grouse hunting is now underway in the Angus and Perthshire glens, but not everyone is excited to see the start of the season. On Monday members of the Dundee Extinction Rebellion (XR) group, Scottish Greens and others demonstrated against the Glorious Twelfth at Dundee Airport. This is at least the third time they have gathered at the entrance to the airport on August 12.
This is the iconic date that marks the official start of the red grouse shooting season. It runs until December 10 and Scottish Government agency NatureScot estimates that it But environmental campaigners, like XR Dundee’s Kate Treharne say it “encapsulates everything that is wrong” and are angry about private jets carrying shooting tourists landing at the airport. “It is about the rich taking advantage, exploiting, polluting and destroying our ecosystems”, says Kate, who is a council worker from Lochee.
“And the way the land is managed is destructive. “The ecosystems are absolutely ravaged, birds of prey persecuted and everything is vandalised to support a massively unnatural population of grouse.” The protesters argue that the small airport is an arrival point for those participating in Tayside and Central Scotland shoots.
A 2021 European Federation for Transport and Environment report found that private planes are between 5 and 14 times “Grouse shooters use Dundee Airport as their entry point to the moors up in the glens”, adds Kate. “They dump all their pollution in Dundee and then swan off into the hills to stay in their luxury mansions.” Tanya Jones was one of the Scottish Greens members at the airport.
“The unnecessary private air travel and grouse shooting encapsulates the short-sightedness of extremely privileged people”, she says. “There are alternative ways of travelling, particularly for rich people and there are much better usages of land than grouse shooting. “The people of Scotland are trying to make change.
“They are being blocked from doing so by profit making interests, which are in not in the interests of the people or nature.” Scottish Greens MSP for north-east Scotland, Maggie Chapman calls the the “inglorious twelfth”. And she is not pleased about the “wealthy” people that use the airport to get to the glens.
“For far too long we have seen land in Scotland being managed as a playground for the rich”, says Ms Chapman. “We know with that management has come the persecution of some of Scotland’s most iconic raptor species. “And that the muirburn [burning moorland to encourage new growth] management plans that are undertaken on grouse shooting estates aren’t actually the best thing for biodiversity or Scotland’s natural habitats.
“There is absolutely nothing glorious about the Glorious Twelfth. “It’s about persecution of species and the killing of animals for sport.” The Scottish Government passed a new wildlife protection law in March.
It will introduce grouse moor licensing during the shooting season for the first time. has outlawed snaring and catching rodents by using glue traps, while creating stricter restrictions on muirburn. Muirburn is the burning of vegetation to manage moorland, with the aim of providing grouse with food sources and shelter.
But it can damage moorland if not done well and The act also gives more powers to SSPCA inspectors when it comes to tackling criminal acts, such as raptor prosecution. It will also likely impose stricter restrictions on general predation, which can be used by gamekeepers to limit the number of animals seen as a threat to grouse. “This is the first year we’ve actually got some legal protections and that means shooting estates need to be properly licensed and there are stricter enforcement powers”, adds Ms Chapman.
“The legislation is a key part of this, but we would like these practices banned completely.” “We face a climate emergency and the biggest threat humanity has ever faced. “And there will always be work in securing our biodiversity and our land.
“But let’s do it for the people and the planet. Not for sport and the wealthy.” Moorland groups across Scotland dispute the views of environmental campaigners and view the Glorious Twelfth as a celebration.
They reference the positive impact that management has on the moorland and the economic benefits of grouse shooting. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation estimates that shooting And that its conservation value is around £176 million. Mark Ewart is the national engagement manager for Scotland’s regional moorland groups.
He says Extinction Rebellion are “casting unfounded aspersions” and that they haven’t engaged with those involved in moor management. “Managed moorland is probably more often enjoyed year-round by hill walkers and nature lovers”, says Mark. “Many moors are also home to peatland restoration schemes, conservation projects, renewable energy infrastructure and designated sites.
“All of which compliment grouse shooting to support jobs and a plethora of wildlife. “These moors support some of Scotland’s most threatened wildlife. “One Angus estate has recorded 103 different bird species.
“This is in no small part thanks to the professional and diligent land management undertaken by gamekeepers.”.
