Gamekeepers stress financial value of grouse season

Highland Correspondent

Friday 10 August 2012

SCOTLAND'S gamekeepers have claimed the economic value of the new grouse season will be vital to recession-hit Scotland with its ability to fuel jobs and generate income.

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David Ross Highland Corespondent

Landowners' wealth keeps rural schools open and supports local employment, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association chairman Alex Hogg claimed ahead of season, which begins on Monday. Although called the Glorious 12th, the season is not legally allowed to start on a Sunday and so will begin on the 13th this year.

An earlier study from Strathclyde University concluded that the sport was worth £23.3 million a year and sustains more than 1200 full-time jobs – more than twice that of the entire computer games industry in Scotland.The association claimed the sport indirectly supports 1440 further posts, often in economically sensitive rural areas with limited employment opportunities for young people.Mr Hogg added: "Some people hold a mixed view of landowners' wealth in Scotland but what must be understood is that these people are creating and supporting local employment, keeping schools in remote communities open and ensuring that there are opportunities for young people to remain in these towns and villages."The money is also staying in Scotland because it trickles down through these communities."I don't think this is something to belittle, especially in the current economic landscape with zero growth now forecast for the UK in 2012. It is something which should be embraced."To put it another way, if the Scottish economy was to lose its grouse-shooting jobs, the Government's welfare bill would rocket by millions overnight and I doubt if politicians or the general public would want to see that."Critics, such as animal welfare charity The League Against Cruel Sports, say the sport is barbaric and that wealthy people would still spend money if the practice was banned.But Mr Hogg further argued that grouse shooting helped to fuel a positive impression of Scotland's landscapes.He added: "This is a modern industry creating jobs but it is also about visitors' impressions of Scotland," he said. "I don't think the Disney Pixar animators of Brave, for example, would have wanted to make a film about a country covered in blanket bracken and trees. "People choose to come here from all over the world because the sporting product in this country is premium and something to be proud of, in the same way we are proud of our quality food and drink or our cultural imprint."

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Gamekeepers stress financial value of grouse season

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