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Countryfile recently had their 20th anniversary and took the opportunity to appreciate the stewardship of the upper moorlands provided by grouse gamekeepers. The money provided by game shooting during the season generates enough income to pay for heather burning and management of the birds. Most of the endangered peat and heather hilltops would be covered by grass and grazing sheep were it not for the careful management of gamekeepers and estates.

Peat is an important ecological resource. It takes centuries for peat to re-form and the soil itself has many important uses. Locals may burn peat as an additional fuel source in areas with few trees (such as parts of Scotland). Peat provides a unique habitat for many forms of wildlife and the vast peat areas around the world are a crucial carbon sink. Were the peat of the world to catch fire, vast amounts of carbon and methane would be released into the atmosphere. This is a real risk because peat bogs can smoulder undetected for many years. Careful attention by knowledgeable land managers is therefore a plus.

Grouse are not reared but they are wormed by hand by gamekeepers – a laborious and time-consuming task. Pheasants are reared and kept in special pens that are maintained by the landowners’ estate. De-lousing, feeding and protecting the pheasants is a full-time job.

However, many people lament the death of birds of prey also shot at this time of year. Whilst shooting any bird of prey is illegal, numbers certainly drop during the shooting season.

So, as always, a balance is required. In order to preserve these unique landscapes, labour and capital are required for the management which allows the heather and moorland birds to prosper. On the other hand, those who shoot during the game season need to be more honest about their targets.