Hare culls wrong

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has condemned the large-scale culling of mountain hares on Scottish estates and warned that legislation is being considered to protect the “iconic” species.

The perpetrators of this killing refer to their activities as “management” to justify an operation that is simply an organised slaughter. The reason; they compete with red grouse for their main food, heather. Red grouse are sustained at artificially high densities to support a shooting industry on many estates.

This industry is also used to justify heather-burning, which contributes to global warming. Additionally, regular heather-burning prevents the succession of this monoculture to a diverse ecosystem. The grouse shooting industry needs to be regulated. Fortunately, it seems that the Scottish Government are taking this need very seriously. I am an ecological consultant with a lifetime experience of land use in the Highlands. (DR) PHILIP R RATCLIFFE

Sandbank Road, Dunoon