Wild Red Grouse Welfare: Driven Shooting, Disease, and the Moor

Red grouse are intensively managed for driven shooting across British upland moorland, creating a unique context where game management, disease management, and welfare intersect in complex ways.

Key Facts

Red grouse are endemic to British and Irish moorland and the primary quarry of driven grouse shooting
The UK has more heather moorland managed for grouse than any other country in the world
Grouse population management includes predator control, heather burning cycles, grit provision, and medicated grit
Strongylosis (Trichostrongylus tenuis) is the primary disease of red grouse; heavily infested birds show poor condition
Medicated grit containing flubendazole treats strongyle worm burden in individual birds through voluntary ingestion
Grouse shot during driven shooting die from lead pellets; the welfare of shot and wounded birds varies
High grouse densities achieved through intensive management can create disease conditions that cause welfare issues
Heather burning for grouse management is contentious; blanket bog burning damages peat carbon stores

Welfare Considerations

Red grouse welfare is inseparable from the intensive management context of driven grouse shooting. The goal of management is maximum grouse density for driven shoots; the welfare of individual birds during this management, and during shooting days, is a secondary consideration. Disease management through medicated grit improves individual welfare by reducing strongyle burden. Shooting welfare depends on marksmanship and the efficiency of retrieving wounded birds. The broader policy debate about driven grouse shooting includes welfare dimensions alongside environmental concerns, and public scrutiny of grouse management practices continues to grow.

What You Can Do

Engage with the debate about driven grouse shooting welfare with reference to evidence on management impacts
Support peatland protection campaigns that address the environmental impacts of grouse moor burning
Donate to wildlife crime investigation groups that monitor illegal raptor persecution on grouse moors
Advocate for licensing of driven grouse shooting as a mechanism for welfare and environmental oversight
Contact your MP about the public interest case for grouse moor management regulation