The GoG Blog

Don’t miss the latest issue of The Field which has our thoughts on the Werritty Review and our concerns over the potential for added restrictions on land management in Scotland. The full text of the article is below. All reviews commissioned by Governments can be regarded as political and the “Werritty” report (link) finally published

By Dee Ward, owner Rottal Estate, Angus The final report of a two-year long review into grouse moor management, commissioned by the Scottish Government, has made a host of recommendations that would result in the biggest change for generations. Grouse shooting, of course, evokes strong opinions and there are those who would gladly see an

The Gift of Grouse initiative provides a voice to all those involved in grouse moor management and helps inform about the benefits this important sector provides to Scotland’s rural communities and beyond. We want everyone to play their part in The Gift of Grouse whether you are a gamekeeper, a country sports participant, someone who

The area of Scotland used for grouse shooting has been alleged to be “almost a fifth of Scotland’s land” but this is based on out-dated figures. Changes in land use and economic viability has reduced this figure, and is estimated to now be no more than 10% of Scotland used for both driven and walked

The British Game Alliance (BGA) was formed with the aim to increase demand in order to return a commercial value back to British game meat. Launched back in May 2017, the BGA laid out its plans for the season ahead and has certainly delivered, publishing a comprehensive end of season summary to the industry. Now approaching 500 shoot members have

The contribution of grouse moors revealed in new Scottish Government-commissioned report. The James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College were jointly commissioned by the Scottish Government to investigate the socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of grouse shooting in Scotland. Their report, published last week, demonstrates the importance of the sector to rural areas of the country

I’m delighted that my next book with William Collins will be on our relationship with British predators. The idea is to explore the natural history of some of the main ones in the UK and Ireland – fox, seal, badger, crow, cormorant, buzzard, pine marten and so on – and to look at how we

Muirburn: Carbon loss or carbon gain? With recent scrutiny of moorland management practices, research into muirburn has been given a new lease of life. This review by Rebekah Strong of Scottish Land & Estates will focus on some of the most recent studies on the impact of muirburn on carbon storage in peatland. What is

By Tim Baynes, Director of the Scottish Moorland Group A version of this article first appeared in The Scotsman on 9 November 2018.   For land managers tasked with caring for Scotland’s treasured moorland landscapes, 2018 has not been the easiest year to be out in our hills and glens. The incredibly harsh winter that

THE LAUNCH OF THE BRITISH GAME ALLIANCE Guest GoG blogger – Tom Adams, Managing Director, British Game Alliance    In 2017 over 50 major representatives from across the shooting community met. They felt enough time had been dedicated to idly discussing the declining market for game meat, and that something needed to be done. Unlike many