Scottish grouse and government

ALL reviews commissioned by government can be regarded as political and the Werritty report, published on 19 December, is no exception. Faced with a barrage of conflicting views on grouse-moor management and suspicions about illegal raptor control, the Scottish Government asked Professor Alan Werritty to lead a review, which included in the remit to “advise on the option of licensing grouse-shooting businesses”.

After exhaustive evidence taking, site visits and deliberation, the review panel concluded that there was no clear case for state licensing of grouse shooting at