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United Utilities announces it’s ending grouse shooting on its moorlands
The company said its moorlands will be restored for ‘nature, climate and people’
North West-based water company United Utilities has announced it will not issue or renew leases in a move to end grouse hunting on its moorlands.
United Utilities, England’s largest corporate landowner, said its moorlands will be restored for ‘nature, climate and people’.
Some of the moorlands it releases for grouse shooting include; the Goyt Valley near Buxton, the Longdendale Valley near Glossop, Anglezarke Moor near Bolton, Brennand Fell in Bowland, Halsteads Fell in Bowland, Sykes Fell in Bowland, Longridge Fell in Bowland, Boulsworth Moor near Burnley and Worsthorne Moor near Burnley.
In a statement, a spokesperson for United Utilities said: “The water company’s decision was announced following a review of its position initiated in March.
“As shooting leases reach their conclusion at various stages between now and 2027, they will not be renewed.
“Instead of being maintained for grouse shooting, the company’s water catchment moors will be restored for nature, climate and people.”
Louise Beardmore, CEO of United Utilities, said: “We made a commitment that we would no longer renew any existing shooting leases on a long term basis and that has guided our approach over the last couple of years.
“I can now also confirm that we will not issue any new shooting leases as United Utilities as we go forward.”
Conservation organisations have praised the move, hailing it as a ‘breakthrough moment’ that would result in the restoration of large parts of the Forest of Bowland, Peak District and West Pennine moorlands.
Based in Warrington, United Utilities manages 56,000 hectares of land in the North West.
Luke Steele, Executive Director of Wild Moors, said: “The world is fast moving in a direction where restoring land for nature, carbon capture and people is at the forefront of tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.
“As England’s largest corporate landowner United Utilities has risen to the challenge of creating a wilder and more diverse future for the uplands, and we commend the company for the decision to end grouse shooting on its moors, We now urge other landowners to follow on.”