Today marks the start of an industry’s annual push to make as much money as possible from selling live Red Grouse – a wild bird – to so-called ‘sportsmen’. The Inglorious Twelfth.

Hundreds of thousands of grouse are slated to be killed (or wounded first then killed) by the end of the year.

Untold millions of native wild animals – from foxes, badgers and stoats to mountain hares, crows and magpies – will have been shot or killed in cages, snares, and traps to support this industry with the approval of government via ‘barely there’ General Licences..

The industry’s hired hands have spent lockdown on a killing spree, ramping up their illegal persecution of birds of prey while ‘prying eyes’ were inside protecting their communities.

The industry has burnt huge areas of blanket bog – one of the most important habitats in the UK – resulting in carbon releases and flooding in downstream villages.

And today the industry’s lobbyists and pet media writers will try to sell the whole ghastly, inhumane, blood-soaked slaughter as ‘Glorious’.

Glorious is defined as “having, worthy of, or bringing fame or admiration” or “having a striking beauty or splendour“.

Which part of blood, illegality, death, pain, cruelty, and habitat destruction is ‘worthy of admiration‘ or ‘having a striking beauty‘?

None of it. It is inglorious, ignominious, ignoble, inhumane, inappropriate, irresponsible, and inexcusable.

The industry has shown absolute contempt for the law, for wildlife, and for the rest of us.

It is simply not fit for the 21st century.

It is time it was shut down. Not licenced, not given yet another chance to behave, closed down for good.