News

Glorious Twelfth starts with a bang across Scotland

Press Release

The official start of the grouse season, the Glorious Twelfth , began in Scotland today, with sporting estates hoping for a good season following the difficult years of the pandemic and hot weather during 2021 and 2022. A grouse day is considered to be the pinnacle of country sports activity, attracting participants from all over the UK...

Glorious Twelfth at risk from ‘excessive’ legislation

Press Release

The official start of the grouse season, the Glorious Twelfth, begins tomorrow, with shooting parties taking to the moors across Scotland from the Lammermuirs in the south to the Dornoch Firth in the north. The game and country sports sector is worth over £350m per year to the Scottish economy. Over 11,000 full time jobs are supported by...

Grouse moor management offers ‘most sustainable option for tackling climate change and biodiversity loss’, according to new report

General News

A new report concludes that, based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) environmental, social and economic definitions, moorland managed for grouse shooting provides greater overall benefits than any alternative use. Written by Professor Simon Denny, formerly of the University of Northampton, and reviewed by Professor...

Outstanding contributions to rural Scotland honoured in Helping it Happen Awards

Press Release

Three leading figures working in rural Scotland have been nominated today for a prestigious outstanding contribution award. The Helping it Happen Scottish Award for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Scotland aims to celebrate those who have spent their lives working in and for Scotland’s countryside. Scottish Land & Estates has announced...

Shooting guidance under new hunting with dogs legislation to avoid falling foul of the law

Press Release

Eight rural organisations have published new guidance for walked-up and rough shooting and field trials, ready for the new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 coming into force in the autumn. Once the Act comes into effect, no more than two dogs can be used at the same time to flush a mammal for shooting and rabbits are now included in...

Burncastle Estate awarded prestigious Wildlife Estates Scotland accreditation

Press Release

The Duke of Northumberland’s Burncastle Estate near the Lammermuir Hills is the latest landholding to have been awarded prestigious wildlife recognition to acknowledge its outstanding conservation work. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) accreditation was presented to the estate at the Border Union Show at Kelso this weekend. Burncastle...

Controlled burning vital to combat future wildfire – new film makes the case

Press Release

The crucial role that gamekeepers, stalkers and rural workers played in tackling the huge wildfire at Cannich is being explained in a new video released this week. Loch Ness Rural Communities, a group highlighting land management, employment, wildlife and conservation that goes on in the Straths around Loch Ness, has released the film in...

Muirburn must be part of toolkit to tackle wildfires

Press Release

A summit held today to discuss wildfires in Scotland has been welcomed – but land managers have urged the Scottish Government to listen to fire experts and recognise the value of controlled burning. Scottish Land & Estates were among representatives to attend the wildlife summit in Beauly organised by MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch...

Best in the Field – The Scottish Country Sports Tourism Awards 2023

General News

The Scottish Country Sports Tourism Awards were held on Saturday 1st of July at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair, recognising providers of country sports who are going the extra mile to deliver exceptional experiences to sporting clients. The awards, presented on the Scottish Land & Estates stand, recognised the exceptional contributions of...

Prestigious wildlife conservation accreditation awarded to five Scottish landholdings

Press Release

Five Scottish farms and estates – accounting for nearly 75,000 acres - have been awarded prestigious international accreditation to recognise their ongoing work in wildlife management and conservation. The award of Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) accreditation was made at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair, with three properties receiving...