Red Grouse Welfare on UK Managed Moorland

Red grouse are native gamebirds managed intensively on UK heather moorland, with welfare considerations around disease management, predator control, and driven shooting.

Key Facts

Red grouse are unique to British moorland and not found elsewhere in the world
Driven grouse shooting requires large bags requiring intensive population management
Strongylosis (intestinal worm disease) causes cyclical population crashes without management
Population management includes medicated grit to control strongylosis
Driven grouse shooting generates significant economic activity in upland areas

Welfare Considerations

Red grouse welfare is complex and contested. Managed populations receive veterinary care through medicated grit provision, and surplus game is not wasted. The shooting process itself involves individual bird welfare costs. Predator control to support grouse densities required for driven shooting involves killing predators including foxes, crows, and stoats, each with individual welfare costs. Disease management through medicated grit provides genuine welfare benefits by reducing strongylosis-related suffering. The welfare calculus of intensive grouse management involves trade-offs that are subject to genuine ethical debate.

What You Can Do

Engage with evidence-based debate about grouse moor welfare trade-offs
Support research into disease management options for wild bird welfare
Advocate for regulatory frameworks that minimise welfare costs in game management
Back transparent reporting of predator control methods on managed moorland
Encourage sustainable shooting practices that prioritise welfare alongside harvest