Shooting parties were on the moors yesterday for the Glorious Twelfth, the date in August that marks the beginning of the grouse-shooting season. But above the cracking reports of the shotguns, a keen ear could also make out the ominous rumble of the sport’s enemies drawing near – and a British tradition beating a retreat.
Grouse shooting, a country pursuit dating back to the middle of the 19th century, is coming under fire from unexpected quarters. Alongside its familiar critics, animal rights campaigners, it is going up against utilities bosses who want nothing further to do with grouse shooting on the swathes of the countryside they oversee.
United Utilities, the largest corporate landowner in the UK, announced last month that it was banning grouse shooting
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