This year’s Glorious Twelfth shooting season could be the worst in recent memory, a boss at a large employer in Perthshire warns as he highlights the economic benefits of the shooting season.
Patrick Birkbeck, managing director at House of Bruar, described grouse-shooting as a special time in rural communities.
The so-called Glorious Twelfth marks the start of the grouse-shooting season in the UK on August 12.
Earlier this week, we spoke to an anti-shooting campaigner in Angus who raised questions about the actions of gamekeepers, claiming they are determined to keep grouse numbers high at the expense of species such as protected raptor birds.
But Patrick defends the tradition and says there is a great buzz in areas such as Highland Perthshire during the season, which lasts until December.
How much does the grouse shooting help?
Patrick said the Glorious Twelfth’s shooting season provides “huge” economic benefits to the Blair Atholl business — as well as others.
While there isn’t a huge difference in footfall at House of Bruar, which employs around 300 people, during the shooting season, Patrick says the type of sales makes a difference.
“You’ll get families coming in and they will be going shooting and they’ll be spending money on coats, cashmere and tweed. The average spend is much higher.
“But it’s far more than the effect that it has on the shop. It’s the effect that it has on just the local community.”
He says this “stretches right from the top” of real estate owners to local shops, garages and pubs that see increased custom.
But it’s not just extra money in the pockets of business owners.
“It brings a huge amount of money, but it also brings a vibe and a happiness,” he added.
A troubling year?
However, Patrick’s hopes of a bumper season after a difficult couple of years are not high.
He said: “2021, I would estimate, is going to be one of the worst years on record. One of the worst years in the last couple of decades.”
Reasons for this are poor weather affecting heather, which grouse thrive in, and less insects for them to feed on.
The countryside can become like a rollercoaster of emotions.”
Patrick Birkbeck, House of Bruar managing director.
Coronavirus restrictions impacting the amount of visitors to Scotland is also a key reason this year will be a struggle, Patrick fears.
“It’s really depressing for all those shops and those people who work in those shops.
“It becomes a bit soulless. The countryside can become like a rollercoaster of emotions.
“When estate owners and the keepers come together and say, ‘right, we just can’t shoot this year’ that must be incredibly frustrating and depressing.”
The debate rages on
Grouse-shooting has long been an emotive topic and there is little sign of the argument going away.
But Patrick would appeal to detractors by highlighting the money it generates because it is uniquely British.
“It brings in a huge, huge amount of money to the economy.
“People are flying in to do this. It is a British thing.
“You don’t go anywhere else in the world to shoot grouse. You shoot grouse in Britain.”
Patrick also said the shooting helps control the grouse population.
“If you don’t manage those numbers, they will get disease and they will spread that disease,” he said.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation claim the grouse shooting represents a £100m boost to the British economy.
