RURAL businesses are predicting that overseas visitors will return to Scotland as the grouse shooting season gets underway.
Ross Ewing, moorland director at trade body Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Thanks to the arrival of the grouse shooting season, Scotland’s rural economy is back in business after a challenging few years of covid-19.
“The significance of the ‘glorious twelfth’ this year should not be understated – it marks the start of a vital extension to the tourism season, which is all the more important against the backdrop of current challenges caused by the cost-of-living crisis.
“Rural businesses need trade now more than ever, and the return of international visitors to Scotland’s iconic moorlands is an important lifeline that will enable many to weather what is set to be a difficult winter.”
A shooting party on See Far Hill at Forneth Farm in Highland Perthshire was among the first to take to the moors.
Head keeper Craig Brown said: “It looks as though this season will give us a real boost.
“Rural communities and businesses such as hotels, pub, restaurants, and suppliers will all benefit from more people coming to Scotland.
“Most estates will be finalising their programme of shoots for the season with reports of many group bookings being made.
“Last year, uncertainty caused by travel restrictions and poor weather conditions had an impact and we’re delighted to see things bouncing back.”
Eat Game launches online shop
Meanwhile, Eat Game Assurance – the company behind the “Eat Wild” campaign to encourage more members of the public to try grouse, pheasant, and other game meat – has launched an online store.
Liam Stokes, chief executive of British Game Assurance, said: “We realised that people enthused by Eat Wild, wanting to try cooking with game for the very first time, needed an easy way to get hold of game right away, without having to go off searching elsewhere.
“We launched this new approach at the [English] Game Fair, and it was a roaring success.
“Hundreds and hundreds of people queued to try the game sausages, fajitas, risottos, and curries cooked up by the Eat Wild team, and could then buy some meat to take home straight away while still fired with enthusiasm.”
He added: “The shop is now live online, and will only stock the basics to get people started with their game cooking adventure.
“This is important because Eat Wild underpins everything we do to extend the reach of game meat, getting wild shot meat onto the shelves of supermarkets, onto menus across the country and into NHS hospitals.
“Eat Wild is how we encourage the public to head to those outlets – well, maybe not hospitals – and pick the game option.”
Read more stories on Scottish Field’s field sports pages.
Plus, don’t miss Michael Wigan’s fishing column in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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