Tweed Under Pressure

It's Great British Game Week: the shooting industry's annual feelgood fest and a chance to garner orders from that section of the consuming public determined to poison itself with lead.

But the tweedies are under threat and not just sartorially from the waxed Barbour faction. The wider public has become more aware than before of the unacceptable impact on wildlife and the environment of so-called country sports. already the BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) has moderated its position. How long will it be before others, including the Countryside Alliance moves away from its traditional extremism?

It would be very optimistic to believe that the shooting and hunting lobby will easily agree to any restrictions on its activities. Even so it is having to work harder than ever before to justify its claims to represent some kind of benevolent force in the British countryside. The Countryside Alliance has always tried to portray itself as the voice of  the undervalued population of rural Britain while in reality its role from the outset was to defend landed privilege and outdated practices from supposedly ignorant Townies.  The wealthy have always managed to find ways of restoring their fortunes and continuing to enjoy doing what other people find distasteful and plain wrong . Their money, after all, gives them access to influence, lobbying  power, legal and sundry professional skills out of reach of the rest of us. Nevertheless, they will need to hide some of the complacency that's seen them survive  as long as this if they are to fight off the growing challenge from the wildlife campaigners. Let's remember that the majority of the game industry's supporters come not from rural areas but from those who work in the city; they can afford the cost of a day's shooting.

The damage done by game shooting includes the killing of  eagles, peregrines, buzzards, hen harriers, red kites etc. foxes, stoats, mountain hares,..... the list goes on but to that needs to be added serious environmental damage, e.g. flooding.

Evidence has been building up and some groups especially those associated with exposing the killing of raptors have excelled in building an overwhelming case against those mismanaging the landscape and its wildlife in the interests of shooting grouse and red deer.

A fair summary of  the present situation is contained in this article from the Ethical Consumer. Well worth a read.