Labour calls for review of sport to protect environment

Labour is calling for a review of grouse shooting amid warnings it causes substantial environmental damage to important natural habitats.

With the start of the four-month long shooting season yesterday – the socalled Glorious Twelfth – the party said consideration should be given to “viable alternatives” such as simulated shooting or wildlife tourism.

The move threatens to put the party on a collision course with landowners who argue that shooting creates valuable employment opportunities while helping to protect the environment.

Grouse moors cover around 550,000 acres of land in England and Scotland.

However, Labour said the process of draining the land in preparation for the shooting season destroyed “huge swathes” of plant life while also killing large numbers of animals.

Moors were often burned, increasing the likelihood of both wildfires and flooding while increasing carbon emissions and dramatically reducing their future capacity to absorb carbon.

At the same time, the party said that species such hen harriers and mountain hares were often illegally culled.

But despite such damage,Laboursaidthe 10 largest English grouse moors received a total of £3 million in annual farm subsidies.

However Duncan Thomas, a regional director at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said: “Grouse moors are biodiverse and the shoots they support create vital employment.”