Back with a bang
Glorious Twelfth returns despite fears avian f lu would clip its wings
THE Glorious Twelfth is set to return this week following two years of silent guns on Scotland’s grouse estates.
Avian flu has brought death to many species of birds this year but, to the great relief of the shooting industry, not a single case has been detected among red grouse, meaning no restrictions in place which might otherwise deter shooters.
As a result, Highland shooting estates are ‘cautiously optimistic’ sporting participants will be coming back in numbers on Friday to contribute to the £200 million boost to the Scottish economy which shooting brings.
Ross Ewing, moorland director of Scottish Land & Estates, said the industry is beginning this Twelfth from a low base as poor weather in spring 2020 and 2021 – plus Covid restrictions – created difficult conditions on the moors.
Many estates had no shooting at all in August last year after the spring weather wreaked havoc with the supply of early nesting birds. But a finer March, April and May this year has created better natural conditions for grouse shooting.
Mr Ewing said: ‘There are knock-on implications from the last two years which mean bird numbers now are not where we would want them to be.
‘Right now, with just days to go, many estates will be conducting counts among grouse to ensure we have a sustainable supply.’
He added: ‘But overall things are looking up and most estates are cautiously optimistic that we are looking forward to a successful season.
‘People are going to have some shooting this year, which is fabulous. There are also numerous economic benefits which come from it.’
The Queen and members of the Royal Family are fans of the Twelfth but will be guided by experts on the Balmoral Estate regarding the sustainability of stocks.
Two years ago, Prince William was seen with his son George on a shoot at Corgarff on the estate.
London restaurants compete to have grouse on the menu on the first day of shooting. Among the most upmarket is the Stafford hotel in Mayfair, where grouse is served with chips for £38 per portion.
Despite this month’s optimism, it is a less rosy picture come September and October when guns become trained on pheasant and partridge, another major contributor to Scotland’s rural economy.
It is estimated around half of the 57 million red-legged partridges and pheasants reared and released each year in the UK come from eggs imported from game farms in the Loire region of France.
The region suffered a major outbreak of avian flu earlier this year, leading to thousands of eggs being destroyed and restrictions imposed on the movement of young birds.
To compound matters, rules introduced as a result of Brexit mean that even when bans were lifted on French farms, British estates had to wait a further 90 days before imports could be resumed.
Alex Hogg, chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, said: ‘We are really concerned about it. We’ve had terrible problems sourcing pheasants and partridges this year. Some keepers have lost their jobs because there’s no shooting to sustain it.
‘It’s drastic, horrible. Lots and lots of keepers are getting paid off and shoots are shutting down.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The game bird industry across the UK has been impacted by the number of avian influenza cases in France where many partridge and pheasant chicks are sourced.
‘This has resulted in the introduction of restrictions on the movement of live birds and eggs.’
‘We are looking forward to a successful season’