MPs hear evidence on grouse shooting

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The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) will be continuing to make the case for the crucial role played by driven-grouse shooting in preparation for the grouse shooting debate, which is scheduled for 31 October 2016 at Westminster Hall in London.

Today, 18 October, saw a cross party group of MPs from the Petitions Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee gather to hear oral evidence on grouse shooting ahead of the main debate at the end of the month.

The oral evidence session may be viewed on Parliament Live TV, by clicking here

The formal evidential process has now begun and the NGO, working on behalf of upland keepers in England and Wales, will continue to put the hard facts before MPs. To date, the NGO has been fighting the keepers’ corner by:

• Submitting 3,000 words of written evidence to the Petitions Committee. The NGO’s report provides MPs with a crystal clear, jargon free, keeper’s-eye view of the important work done by upland gamekeepers on the moors,
• Providing personal copies of its written evidence to all members of the committee,
• Getting in touch with the office of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andrea Leadsom MP,
• Working alongside and in concert with the like-minded rural organisations that are active in defending red grouse shooting.

The detailed written evidence the NGO sent to the Petitions Committee and to MPs discusses the extent and development of grouse shooting, the red grouse and its management, and the crucial role both driven grouse shooting and gamekeepers play in safeguarding the economic and environmental health of the uplands. The NGO’s brief also points to the wider significance of driven grouse shooting for both local communities and the general public.

To read the NGO’s written evidence in full, please click here

A spokesman for the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation said: “I’d like to thank the Moorland Association’s Amanda Anderson and the Countryside Alliance’s Liam Stokes, who we have been working alongside in advance of today’s oral evidence session, for explaining to MPs the benefits of grouse shooting. The NGO, along with other rural groups, will continue to lobby MPs in preparation for the debate on 31 October.”

Please be aware, the debate in Westminster Hall on 31 October will NOT change the law. The purpose of the debate is solely intended to highlight the issues surrounding red grouse shooting, and no more. It is not part of the Parliamentary law making process. There will not be a vote by MPs on conclusion of the debate.

Notes to Editors
The National Gamekeepers' Organisation represents upland and lowland gamekeepers in England and Wales. It defends and promotes gamekeeping, gamekeepers and ensures high standards throughout the profession. It was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that their profession was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. The NGO has around 15,000 members. Visit www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

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