Letter: Mailbag - So is there any glory in he glorious twelfth?

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), August 11, 2008

Byline: JOHN COOPER

AS we approach the start of the new shooting season I would like to remind readers why August 12 is anything but "glorious."

In recent weeks we have had a barrage of stories with headlines such as "Estates blamed for killing hen harriers", "Gamekeepers 'are killing harriers'" and "Gamekeepers accused" in regard to the massive surge in attacks on birds of prey. Only last month the RSPB warned that hen harriers are being systematically wiped out on grouse moors to protect the profits made by the owners of shooting estates and syndicates. How an earth can an industry which depends on the mass slaughter of wildlife for entertainment purposes be thought 'glorious'? 'Barbaric' or perhaps 'immoral' would seem more appropriate terms. In the coming days the apologists for this barbaric 'sport' will attempt to spin the lie that shooting is all about healthy, organic food. Nothing could be further from the truth with only a tiny proportion of game birds making their way on to the dinner table.

So, as we approach the start of another grouse shooting season it is worth taking a few moments to think about the less than glorious aspects which go on behind the scenes to sustain our commercial shooting industry.

JOHN COOPER Chairman, League Against Gruel Sports