Wild Justice defeat

More News

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation and their Aim to Sustain partners have welcomed the news that Wild Justice have today seen another legal defeat in their attempt to judicial review Defra's burning legislation.

The campaign group had yet again applied to launch an appeal against the High Court’s refusal to grant it permission to apply for Judicial Review of the Heather Burning Regulations. This is the third time that the group have seen this application denied.

Today, the Rt Hon Lord Justice Males in the Court of Appeal dismissed this latest legal challenge, saying such an appeal “would have no real prospect of success”.

Together with the Moorland Association, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Countryside Alliance, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation have been an Interested Party to the Judicial Review, and have worked alongside Defra in defending the challenges brought by Wild Justice, which is led by the BBC personality Chris Packham, alongside Mark Avery and Chris Packham.

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation are entirely of the opinion that controlled burning is a vital part of land management in the uplands, and will continue to fight to ensure that gamekeepers are able to use burning as an essential tool in their work.

A spokesman for Aim to Sustain said:

“This result is further vindication of the legitimate, ethical and sustainable land management that underpins these iconic areas of the British uplands.

Packham and Wild Justice have now suffered this embarrassing, third defeat on this issue. Four Aim to Sustain organisations fought all the way on this issue and they will continue to fight any further actions by Wild Justice that threaten sustainable management of our countryside which provides important environmental, societal and conservation benefits.”

The Interested Parties had already been awarded costs of £1,100 by the court when the original Wild Justice challenge was refused in October of last year. These costs have now been officially received, and the money has been donated to the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust.