HELP! Blog by Mark Avery

Mark Avery friend and a well known campaigner for 'our' nature makes a case for signing the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting.

I've signed and would put on my friendships here and ask you to do the same. Hen Harriers and other wildlife need your help. PLEASE DO SIGN.

Our e-petition passed 21,500 signatures yesterday, with less than two weeks to go (and after less than 10 months). HM Government e-petition Ban driven grouse shooting

The e-petition is on the Westminster government website which means that it has political clout. Already it is one of the most successful e-petitions ever – being in the top 0.5% of all e-petitions on this site.  The e-petition applies to England, but any UK citizen is entitled to sign it.

Driven grouse shooting, where lines of beaters chase the Red Grouse across the hills to fly past lines of ‘guns’ who pay large amounts of money to shoot at them, is the source of wildlife crime (killing of birds of prey), damaged wildlife sites (burning of blanket bogs), increased carbon emissions (from heather burning and soil erosion), increased water bills (through water discolouration requiring water treatment) and increased home insurance (through increased flood risk caused by land management in the hills).  It is of trivial economic value to the economy but your taxes are helping to subsidise this field sport. We’d be better off without it.

All attempts to negotiate a more sustainable future with grouse shooting interests have failed through their intransigence. The only way forward for the wildlife enthusiast, the taxpayer and the many, is to ban this unsustainable practice of the few.

This e-petition has already sent a message to grouse shooters that they need to change and to politicians that they need to act.  Your signature will help strengthen that message.

I am grateful to Chris Packham, the Green Party of England and Wales, Birdwatch magazine, the League Against Cruel Sports, Rare Bird Alert and a host of raptor workers and wildlife enthusiasts for their support in getting this e-petition so far. One last push and surge of signatures before the 30 March will strengthen that message.

But it’s up to you!

Please sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting.

Thank you for your help.

Dr Mark Avery