[BACKGROUND IMAGE] https://aaf1a18515da0e792f78-c27fdabe952dfc357fe25ebf5c8897ee.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/13/plfu---ls--heather2---andy-hay+mobile.jpg?v=1747408058000 https://aaf1a18515da0e792f78-c27fdabe952dfc357fe25ebf5c8897ee.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/13/heather2---andy-hay+desktop.jpg?v=1747408057000 Photo: Andy Hay

Call time on moor crime

Our iconic uplands are increasingly being managed for one purpose. Huge areas have become Red Grouse production factories. Magnificent birds like Hen Harriers and Peregrine Falcons are being illegally killed, all to keep Red Grouse numbers high. But you can help. Please ask you MP to protect our wild uplands by calling for licensing of grouse shoots. 

 

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England’s windswept uplands may look wild, but in the worse cases, they risk being turned into crime scenes. With pressures to keep Red Grouse numbers high, birds of prey like Hen Harriers, Peregrine Falcons and Red Kites are illegally killed and precious peatlands sometimes burnt. This has to stop.  

Protecting our uplands is vital for our wildlife and for us

In recent times the scale of Red Grouse shooting has gone through the roof, with our wildlife and habitats paying a heavy price. 
Healthy peatlands are vital for us and our communities, both in the uplands and the surrounding towns and cities. They can help prevent flooding by slowing the flow of rainwater, and they store more carbon than all UK forests combined.  
Shooting estates burn swathes of protected peatlands to encourage fresh heather growth for Red Grouse to eat. This causes peat erosion and destroys the delicate life which once thrived there, including species that can’t escape the flames, like Common Lizards, Adders, frogs and newts. 

Change is possible

There are many ways to solve the problem of moor crime - licensing of shoots is a pragmatic option. However it happens, what matters is that harm to wildlife must stop. 
We have an opportunity now to follow Scotland’s lead and license shooting. This means any shoot which breaks the law risks sanctions, including closure. Responsible shoots have nothing to fear, while those who commit crimes can be held to account.   
Passionate people in Scotland made it happen. Now, if enough of us join together and take action, people power can claim another victory.  Speak up and email your MP. Together we can call time on moor crime.  

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