Cost of living: grouse effect

A successful grouse season could help protect struggling rural households from the worst effects of the costof-living crisis, according to Scottish Gamekeepers Association chairman Alex Hogg. The grouse shooting season opened last week and a steady shooting calendar is expected in most places.

“In a stable year, grouse shooting brings over £30m to remote communities in a short window, helping a range of spin-off small businesses at a quiet time after the summer holidays,” said Mr Hogg.

“The recent Scottish government-commissioned study indicated just how important that income and household wages can be in these remote areas.”

The revenue boost from grouse shooting will be important not just because of the difficult wider economic picture, but also because many partridge and pheasant shoots will not be going ahead this year due to bird flu disrupting the supply of poults.

While he acknowledged the value that grouse shooting brought to the countryside, Mr Hogg was clear that it would not answer all the challenges faced by less well-off rural families. He said: “We are going to need all areas of the economy firing if we are to get back to some form of stability.”

A decent grouse season could provide respite for rural households