United Utilities - please challenge shoot leases decision

[Conor O'Gorman]

BASC has slammed a decision by United Utilities to end all shoot leases on its land as short-sighted and a travesty for conservation. It was announced by United Utilities last week that all shoot leases will be terminated when they next come up for renewal. It’s estimated that more than 30 shoots will be shut down as a result.

Are you a United Utilities customer?

“Did we fall short?” That’s the question that United Utilities asks repeatedly across the customer service and complaints section of its website.

If you are a customer of United Utilities please lodge a complaint about its decision not to renew shoot tenancies and submit your own answer to the question of “Did we fall short?” for conservation, for shoots, for gamekeepers and their families, for farmers, land managers, beaters, pickers-up and for rural businesses.

Send an email of complaint to the chief executive of United Utilities, Louise Beardmore, directly using this email address: Louise.Beardmore@uuplc.co.uk.

For more information click the weblink below

United Utilities - falling short - BASC

Following United Utilities decision not to renew shooting leases on its land, we explain how you can push back.

basc.org.uk

 

[Oldstalker]

I went to work in the S Lakes in 1983 and ever since then North West Water or UU, as they later became, have swithered about fieldsports on their not inconsiderable holdings in the Lake District (Haweswater, Thirlemere are simply their largest two land holdings in the Lakes. They also own much land in the Bowland area). They have at times banned paid guest stalking and or shooting on these lands before realising the benefits that fieldsports brought to their habitat and species management. The "do-gooders" on their board like to virtue signal their attitude to the pressure groups especially the hunt saboteurs, in their latest guise, in Manchester.
I remember even then being horrified at the pollution in the rivers and lakes in the Lake District, compared with my native Scotland, where the river boards were hot on silage bree and other pollutants in the rivers.
The combined weight of GWCT's research and pressure from BASC, Countryside Alliance and the Moreland Assoc'n as well as the NGO should all be aimed at them explicitly to pint out the short-sightedness of their proposed action.
I urge everyone to write along the lines below - adjusted for your own experience.
"Dear Madam,
I used to live and work in the S Lakes as a land agent from 1983 until 2018. During much of that time I was also a management committee member or Trustee/Director of the British Deer Society and later a professional stalker in your area as well as a customer. From the very moment of my arrival I was horrified by the state of the watercourses as the then NWW failed to tackle pollution from whatever source in their area. You have only become worse especially since the advent of the Environment Agency.
Your company has vacillated about fieldsports for many years, at times banning paying guest stalkers, cancelling shoot leases etc. When presented with evidence each time they have rescinded that decision and returned to more traditional estate management. I urge you to do so again and to pause and consider before such precipitate action again.
To now virtue signal your condemnation of fieldsports on your extensive land holdings to satisfy the latest form of animal rights activism is to misread the situation seriously. Far more people are engaged in these rural activities than you credit and their time, efforts and money do a great deal for species and habitat management on your estates. Look at the science provided about watercourses and fisheries, bio-diversity and conservation from the GWCT. Look at the economic evidence provided by BASC. Listen to the Moorland Association about habitat management, to the NGO about species management, to the Country Land and Business Group about local effects, and then please reconsider your illogical and unscientific decision.
Your’s etc,"

 

[Dave Lakes]

Can you link where they have published this decision?

 

[Scotty99]

This letter from the CA is worth including in your emails of compliant sets out good science as to the benefits of properly managed moors.

”
I am contacting you regarding the irrational announcement that United Utilities will not be renewing shooting leases on its upland and lowland land holdings. As someone who has a love for, and understanding of our countryside, I believe it is essential both for the environment, and economic future of numerous rural communities, that United Utilities renew these leases, as to not do so would have a devastating impact.

Game shooting is the largest contributor to conservation schemes in England and Wales, and it is an intrinsic part of the social fabric that connects rural communities together, whether it is in the uplands or lowlands. It provides people with jobs, and a network of small businesses with custom. Without shooting, wildlife, rare habitats, and already fragile communities will suffer. Hen harriers can be expected to be amongst those. Of the 49 hen harrier nests last year, 18 were in the Forest of Bowland, 10 nests were across the Yorkshire Dales & Nidderdale region, and five were in the Peak District; largely thanks to the legal control of predators by gamekeepers.

Grouse moor managers, working in conjunction with the government and other organisations, are actively working on restoration projects which include the revegetation of bare peat, the blocking of drains, rewetting the peat, and the introduction of blanket bog species such as peat forming sphagnum moss which absorbs and filters the water. If left unmanaged, heather becomes a severe fire risk, and the devastation caused by wildfires is considerable, destroying wildlife and habitats, and exposing the underlying peat to the atmosphere causing the release of carbon dioxide and water discolouration downstream. The careful management of heather is therefore essential to help preserve the carbon locked up in the underlying peat, and prevent the outbreak of wildfires, the majority of which occur on moorland that is not managed for grouse shooting, and in doing so, help improve water quality. That management will cease if leases on your upland landholdings are not renewed.

I therefore sincerely hope that United Utilities will take note of all available science and evidence, which is overwhelming in its support of game shooting and its associated management, and that shooting leases are renewed as and when they come up for renewal. If it does not do so, it will be responsible for the resultant environmental, economic and social losses that arise.”

 

[jall55]

This letter from the CA is worth including in your emails of compliant sets out good science as to the benefits of properly managed moors.

”
I am contacting you regarding the irrational announcement that United Utilities will not be renewing shooting leases on its upland and lowland land holdings. As someone who has a love for, and understanding of our countryside, I believe it is essential both for the environment, and economic future of numerous rural communities, that United Utilities renew these leases, as to not do so would have a devastating impact.

Game shooting is the largest contributor to conservation schemes in England and Wales, and it is an intrinsic part of the social fabric that connects rural communities together, whether it is in the uplands or lowlands. It provides people with jobs, and a network of small businesses with custom. Without shooting, wildlife, rare habitats, and already fragile communities will suffer. Hen harriers can be expected to be amongst those. Of the 49 hen harrier nests last year, 18 were in the Forest of Bowland, 10 nests were across the Yorkshire Dales & Nidderdale region, and five were in the Peak District; largely thanks to the legal control of predators by gamekeepers.

Grouse moor managers, working in conjunction with the government and other organisations, are actively working on restoration projects which include the revegetation of bare peat, the blocking of drains, rewetting the peat, and the introduction of blanket bog species such as peat forming sphagnum moss which absorbs and filters the water. If left unmanaged, heather becomes a severe fire risk, and the devastation caused by wildfires is considerable, destroying wildlife and habitats, and exposing the underlying peat to the atmosphere causing the release of carbon dioxide and water discolouration downstream. The careful management of heather is therefore essential to help preserve the carbon locked up in the underlying peat, and prevent the outbreak of wildfires, the majority of which occur on moorland that is not managed for grouse shooting, and in doing so, help improve water quality. That management will cease if leases on your upland landholdings are not renewed.

I therefore sincerely hope that United Utilities will take note of all available science and evidence, which is overwhelming in its support of game shooting and its associated management, and that shooting leases are renewed as and when they come up for renewal. If it does not do so, it will be responsible for the resultant environmental, economic and social losses that arise.”

Yes it is a good letter - but we must make sure we do not just copy this and put in our own feelings - I had a meeting last week and the person i was talking with said they received 500 letters - the day before - all the same - and the fact they carried little weight as it was just cut and paste
I thought that rather interesting

 

[spanj]

Done

 

[Old Pultney]

I’ve signed The petition through ÇA website which included a standard letter. Good point re cut and paste letters but petitions do sometimes seem to work.. thanks to the OP for drawing to attention.

 

[Old Pultney]

Will be emailing Louise Beardmorz directly too .

 

[Bowland blades]

I went to work in the S Lakes in 1983 and ever since then North West Water or UU, as they later became, have swithered about fieldsports on their not inconsiderable holdings in the Lake District (Haweswater, Thirlemere are simply their largest two land holdings in the Lakes. They also own much land in the Bowland area). They have at times banned paid guest stalking and or shooting on these lands before realising the benefits that fieldsports brought to their habitat and species management. The "do-gooders" on their board like to virtue signal their attitude to the pressure groups especially the hunt saboteurs, in their latest guise, in Manchester.
I remember even then being horrified at the pollution in the rivers and lakes in the Lake District, compared with my native Scotland, where the river boards were hot on silage bree and other pollutants in the rivers.
The combined weight of GWCT's research and pressure from BASC, Countryside Alliance and the Moreland Assoc'n as well as the NGO should all be aimed at them explicitly to pint out the short-sightedness of their proposed action.
I urge everyone to write along the lines below - adjusted for your own experience.
"Dear Madam,
I used to live and work in the S Lakes as a land agent from 1983 until 2018. During much of that time I was also a management committee member or Trustee/Director of the British Deer Society and later a professional stalker in your area as well as a customer. From the very moment of my arrival I was horrified by the state of the watercourses as the then NWW failed to tackle pollution from whatever source in their area. You have only become worse especially since the advent of the Environment Agency.
Your company has vacillated about fieldsports for many years, at times banning paying guest stalkers, cancelling shoot leases etc. When presented with evidence each time they have rescinded that decision and returned to more traditional estate management. I urge you to do so again and to pause and consider before such precipitate action again.
To now virtue signal your condemnation of fieldsports on your extensive land holdings to satisfy the latest form of animal rights activism is to misread the situation seriously. Far more people are engaged in these rural activities than you credit and their time, efforts and money do a great deal for species and habitat management on your estates. Look at the science provided about watercourses and fisheries, bio-diversity and conservation from the GWCT. Look at the economic evidence provided by BASC. Listen to the Moorland Association about habitat management, to the NGO about species management, to the Country Land and Business Group about local effects, and then please reconsider your illogical and unscientific decision.
Your’s etc,"

Most Scots dont get how bad things have declined since we lost our river boards in England . We basically put the most damaging industry to fisheries in charge !
As for the shoots , its been on their hit list a good while and dont think its all about the anti pressure , what they want at UU is to get the maximum yield from the assets our stupid Governments ( all the political parties that have been in power ) handed them ! Nothing to do with looking after nature all about money

 

[Whitefront]

Labour supports this latest manifestation of corporate wokery. Kerry McCarthy, a shadow minister, tweeted: "Great news - better for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water management and local nature lovers - not to mention the birds!" Her constituency is Bristol East. Not too many grouse there.

 

[Bowland blades]

Labour supports this latest manifestation of corporate wokery. Kerry McCarthy, a shadow minister, tweeted: "Great news - better for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water management and local nature lovers - not to mention the birds!" Her constituency is Bristol East. Not too many grouse there.

They do speak some utter twaddle the Hen Harrier population will be decimated here in Bowland . Also think of how the pubs and the various businesses' that provide food , accommodation will be hit . It scares me that Labour will very likely have a majority at the next election with the std of the MPs they currently have , it going to be one big disaster.
As a Nation we have the lowest regard for teaching factual economics in our schools and one of the most expensive but for its funding perhaps one the poorest functioning for each pound spent

 

[Scotty99]

Labour supports this latest manifestation of corporate wokery. Kerry McCarthy, a shadow minister, tweeted: "Great news - better for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water management and local nature lovers - not to mention the birds!" Her constituency is Bristol East. Not too many grouse there.

Her reply just demonstrates the complete lack of understating she has of moor and upland management. God help us all of Labour get in at the next general election.

 

[Scotty99]

Yes it is a good letter - but we must make sure we do not just copy this and put in our own feelings - I had a meeting last week and the person i was talking with said they received 500 letters - the day before - all the same - and the fact they carried little weight as it was just cut and paste
I thought that rather interesting

Yes folks need to edit and not copy verbatim but use the key points raised in the original letter.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Buy a few shares & then make your complaint as a share holder!

 

[jall55]

Her reply just demonstrates the complete lack of understating she has of moor and upland management. God help us all of Labour get in at the next general election.

I have wrote to this lady too

 

[Scotty99]

I have wrote to this lady too

Well done mate.

 

[jall55]

Well done mate.

We all must - or at least some of us Scotty

 

[JH83]

They do speak some utter twaddle the Hen Harrier population will be decimated here in Bowland . Also think of how the pubs and the various businesses' that provide food , accommodation will be hit . It scares me that Labour will very likely have a majority at the next election with the std of the MPs they currently have , it going to be one big disaster.
As a Nation we have the lowest regard for teaching factual economics in our schools and one of the most expensive but for its funding perhaps one the poorest functioning for each pound spent

If labour get in with a majority it is, without doubt, the end of driven shooting in the country.

It’ll be licensed quickly (essentially a full ban in itself) and shortly after it’ll be declared that on account of avian flu (or whatever justification is flavour of the month) no licences will be granted. The industry collapses in a year.

It’s clever stuff, no need for an outright ban just crush the industry’s core. After then poults (if you can find them) will be £15 each.

I’d love to think another countryside March will be organised, put half a million folks into central London, but there just seems an apathy. Hopefully I am wrong.

The industry got greedy, it painted too big a bullseye on its back!

 

[LuckyEddie]

Just a though.

As tax payers United Utilities get money from the government as well as rates from the water users.
Therefore as tax payers write to your MPs requesting UU carry out species surveys annually - starting this year - to monitor what species are present and whether by the shooting being stopped these species actually benefit.

To me if they say the countryside benefits then they should prove it and the findings should be made public otherwise they are liars!

 

[BLUEROLL]

I have copy/pasted the CA letter to her but started with my own paragraph.

Dear Louise.
I have unashamedly copied the following letter from organisations that can explain it better than me, but having extensively walked many miles of the upland habitats of England and Scotland my Wife and I have witnessed first hand the benefits that management for game/grouse shoots bring to many other species, compared to areas managed by so called conservationists like the RSPB. For the sake of our upland nesting waders and many other flora/fauna please do not pander to the uneducated/do-gooders and virtue signallers on your board and general public.