2022

The war in Ukraine has added to the pressures farmers are facing through increasing input costs of the three F’s; fuel, feed and fertiliser. These could be short-term impacts but they come at a time when the industry is facing longer-term upheaval due to reductions in post-Brexit farm support, labour shortages and the impacts of trade and environmental policies.

The few who perpetrate wildlife crime overshadow the many grouse moor managers who work tirelessly to create habitat where birds of prey can thrive. 

Nick Williams OBE very sadly died on 17th April 2022 aged 74. He was a committed GWCT trustee since July 2016 and also our first chairman in Wales. Here colleagues and friends share their fond memories of Nick.

The GWCT is assisting with an exciting new project initiated by the Norfolk Estate, Sussex, to establish a breeding curlew population on the South Downs. The project involves a technique called headstarting, whereby eggs are taken from the wild, incubated artificially, and then chicks are reared to fledging age in enclosures before release into the wild.

The GWCT Scottish Game Fair returns to Scone Palace in Scotland from 1- 3 July with an incredible itinerary of displays, demonstrations, have-a-go attractions and exhibitors covering everything from fishing and shooting to gundogs and falcons.

We recently launched our 2022 Gun Draw, where you can win a pair of Bespoke William Powell Sovereign shotguns worth £14,000 plus a day's driven shooting. Stuart Loudon was the lucky winner of our 2020 Gun Draw, winning a pair of made-to-measure William Powell shotguns and cartridges.

For most lowland shoots, the cost of pheasant and partridge poults is probably the biggest single outlay in the annual budget, so you want to spend your money wisely. Shopping around is clearly sensible but beware of going on price alone.

The subject of predator control can be charged with emotion and often misguided opinion. This has put ever greater scrutiny on practitioners; there is no place for poor practice. The game sector prides itself in being able to demonstrate best practice to ensure that predator control remains a legitimate conservation tool. There are sector-led codes of practice in place and the GWCT is recognised for up-to-date training on all aspects of humane predator control.

Rod Liddle lets a story get in the way of the facts when writing about grouse moors. Rather than being a “desolate moonscape”, they are the last refuge of some of our most endangered wildlife.