Grouse shooting provides major boon to Scottish economy - but should it be allowed?

The grouse shooting season began in the Angus Glens this week, with estates highlighting millions of pounds of economic activity while critics question the environmental cost of the sport.

Grouse shooting is estimated to contribute £32m to the Scottish economy each year, as part of the £155m overall value of country sports.

Sporting shooting supports 11,000 full-time jobs in Scotland, of which 2,640 are in the grouse sector.

In the Angus Glens, seven estates reported spending £6.6m in 2025.

Ross Ewing, director of moorland and strategic Projects for Scottish Land & Estates said: “The grouse shooting season is a major contributor to the rural economy. Year-round expenditure by estates supports hundreds of jobs and helps ensure the viability of local businesses.

“The evidence is clear: moorland management and grouse shooting deliver decisive benefits for the Angus Glens and upland areas across Scotland – supporting people in work, keeping money in the local economy, sustaining rural skills and helping conserve the landscapes and wildlife that make these places special.”

Glorious 12th marks the start of the grouse-shooting season

The grouse shooting season got under way earlier this week on August 12, also known as the ‘Glorious 12th’.

Les Gammie, depot manager for Gammie’s Groundcare in Forfar said: “We supply a significant number of the estates in the Angus Glens.

“It is beneficial for the economy of the region that the estates support local businesses and as a large part of our customer base, they are a major financial contributor to our business.”

Ritu Dutt, Owner of the Glenesk Country House Hotel & Spa, added: “Sporting tourism brings people to the Angus Glens from all over the UK, Europe and North America, which provides a boost to our restaurant and room bookings and to the local economy. It is great to see the buzz in the area when the season gets under way.”

There were 84 grouse shooting days in the Angus Glens during the 2025 season.

An average of 54 people were required per shoot day at each estate, contributing to the seasonal employment supported by the estates.

Martin Taylor, a head gamekeeper and member of the Angus Glens Moorland Group, said: “Despite having a limited grouse harvest on this estate this year, we continue to invest in moorland management to promote biodiversity. Moorland estates remain a big employer in the area, creating a rural community to be rivalled in most urban settings.

“A true measure of the quality of our hill is the wildlife. Our eagles have once again successfully fledged another two chicks, taking their brood to eight youngsters over their five years with us.

“Their continued success is, however, threatened. If you harm an eagle, or interfere with its nest, you will rightly be prosecuted. If you remove its habitat and food source by planting trees, you get a grant to do so.

“Large areas of Angus are planned to be transformed from well manged vibrant healthy open hill into a massive fuel source for wildfire. And, in doing so, these projects remove the hunting ground for many raptors which thrive on managed moorlands.

“It is vitally important that policy decisions recognise the value of these internationally rare habitats and protect them for future generations.”

Opposition to grouse shooting

Campaigners strongly dispute the environmental claims made by the shooting industry.

Max Wiszniewski, head of campaigns at REVIVE Coalition, said: “People come to Scotland for wildlife and landscapes that are alive, and rural businesses benefit from that nature-based tourism all year round.

“Grouse shooting offers a few months of shooting for a small number of people to destroy our wildlife and environment while also blocking the potential for anything better.

“That’s a poor return on such a vast area of Scotland and it needs to end for the sake of our people, wildlife and the environment.”

The Scottish Greens are also calling for an end to driven grouse shooting.

Scottish Greens rural affairs spokesperson Ariane Burgess said: “There is nothing glorious about killing animals for fun.

“Grouse are living, sentient animals, not targets for somebody’s entertainment. No animal should have to suffer and die simply because somebody thinks killing it makes for a good day out.

“Their numbers are deliberately kept unnaturally high so there are more birds to shoot. The patchwork we see across our hillsides is created by burning land to stimulate new growth whilst thousands of other wild animals are killed to keep grouse numbers artificially high, just so more birds can ultimately be shot for sport.

“Scotland has taken important steps to protect our wildlife in recent years. Parliament has banned cruel snares and glue traps and agreed stronger protections for the way our moors are managed.

“But animals cannot speak up for themselves, so it is our responsibility to do it for them. Without stronger protections, more innocent and defenceless animals will continue to be shot and killed simply for someone else’s entertainment.

“There is nothing sporting about that, and there is certainly nothing glorious about it.”