Richmond and Northallerton MP speaks out in support of grouse shooting

MP Rishi Sunak has spoken out in defence of grouse shooting amid calls for the sport to be banned.

The former Prime Minister took part in a debate in Westminster triggered by a petition of more than 100,000 signatures, which was handed in by campaign group Wild Justice.

The group, headed by TV naturalist and animal rights campaigner Chris Packham, called for a ban on driven grouse shooting.

But in the debate, Mr Sunak said the industry supported more than 2,500 direct jobs and generated millions in wages.

The MP said grouse shooting help with the maintenance and regeneration of moorland ecosystems, and argued that without the financial investment from shooting estates, valuable habitats like heather moorland would be at risk of degradation.

He also praised the conservation efforts of gamekeepers, who help protect endangered species such as curlew, lapwing, and merlin.

Mr Sunak said it was not the case that the only people to suffer from a ban would be “rich men in plus fours with port-faced complexions”.

He added: “The real victims of any ban would not be caricatures, but ordinary working people; the farmer’s wife who goes beating at the weekend so that her family can make ends meet; the young man able to earn a living, in the community that he loves, as an apprentice to a gamekeeper; or the local publican welcoming shooting parties with cold ales and warm pies."

Wild Justice said it believed that driven grouse shooting was “bad for people, the environment and wildlife”.
It added: “We think grouse shooting is economically insignificant when contrasted with other real and potential uses of the UK’s extensive uplands.”

The group said the controlled burning of heather to encourage new growth and reduce the chance of wildfires by gamekeepers contributed to climate breakdown.

The petition also blamed grouse shoots for the “wholesale extermination of predators” and the “criminal practice of raptor persecution”.

Following the debate, the government confirmed it had no plans to introduce a ban on grouse shooting.

The outcome was welcomed by the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group, which represents rural estates in the area.  A spokesperson said: “It was a crushing blow for the petitioners as MPs spoke not only about the socio-economic importance of grouse moors in rural areas, but also their significant roles in tourism, local trades, ancillary businesses and most importantly the critical conservation outcomes delivered to the nation.”