Many readers of this blog will remember the Chanel 4 News report on raptor persecution on the North York Moors which went out on the 29th May this year. For almost everyone who saw it one exchange remained with them. We reproduce it below :

Alex Thomson (Chanel 4 News Reporter): Inspector Hagen told us that of 30 birds he’s collected in the past six months, only one has died of natural causes and his investigations lead clearly to a single group of suspects.

Matt Hagen (Inspector North Yorkshire Police): All the shooting investigations that we’ve got going on at the moment are involving gamekeepers on grouse moors.

Three points leap out; 29 unnatural deaths, a single group of suspects, gamekeepers on grouse moors. Extraordinary figures.

Now we hear from Police Scotland that the biggest percentage increase in crime in the first six months of this year was of wildlife crime which went up 82.9%. We’ll repeat that 82.9%.

We are not surprised that the Scottish National Party (SNP) are faced with a call from members to include stringent action on driven grouse shooting in their manifesto. Presumably those who seek Scottish independence want to change the country’s ethos not have more of the same with a tartan hue.

Social media currently contains many posts both for and against the driven grouse industry and its acolytes the gamekeepers. We do not support rude posts. We unreservedly condemn threatening posts and criminal activities whether on-line or elsewhere. We feel very strongly however that the increasing anger that seems to be pervading many areas of society needs to be addressed by prompt and effective action to reduce wildlife crime. The highlighted statements and figures above suggest that there is an obvious way to do that. Scotland has led the way with a number of innovative laws that have subsequently be taken up in other parts of the UK. Now is the time to do so again.

This is not about being ‘anti’ or ‘pro’. It is about the rule of law. It is about democracy. It is about justice.