Scottish Game Fair promotes greener farming and sustainable shooting

The Scottish Game Fair returns to the grounds of Scone Palace next week.

Run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and sponsored by NFU Mutual, the event will run from Friday September 24 – Sunday 26.

A focal point as always is the Trust’s central exhibit which this year drills down into the future challenges of a farm support system based on delivery for the environment, and also sustainable shooting both in the uplands and over low ground.

The joint themes of the exhibit ‘How good is your game, how green is your farm?’ explore these areas.

With agriculture accounting for around 70% of Scotland’s land use, and with many important wildlife habitats linked to our farming environment, it is important going forward that farming produces food efficiently and looks after nature too, also taking account of climate change measures and employing systems that promote biodiversity.

The display illustrates how farmers can be more ‘green’ through, for example, on farm environmental audits, monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration measures, and improving farming efficiency.

Benefits can also be gained by farmers working together in farmer clusters particularly in terms of soil quality, water and wildlife at landscape scale.

The display explores a parallel theme for game managers in ensuring their work, whether upland or low ground, delivers biodiversity net gain – in the uplands adopting workable, pragmatic evidence-based approaches and solutions and, likewise, in the lowlands understanding and practising sustainable game bird release and shoot management that can deliver benefit for the wider environment.

Rory Kennedy, director Scotland, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: ‘Our display at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair promotes these important messages at an important time.

‘With the subsidy system changing, now more than ever farmers and land managers must be aware of the natural capital stock that they hold on their ground and how this can be enhanced.

‘The start-point lies in having accurate information and GWCT now has a tried and field-tested app enabling recording and monitoring different species and habitats to support this process. This monitoring is also essential, as is the introduction of measures to support change for the good, whether that be a more sustainable shoot, or a more sustainable farm.

‘Looking at how this can be achieved in moorland and low ground game management settings, as well as across Scotland’s farmed landscape, the exhibit sets out the background for this drive for evidence.

‘Our advisors and researchers will be on hand throughout the Fair to take visitors through the exhibit and explain how GWCT is able to help.’

Also, in the GWCT’s central area is the Moredun Research Institute’s Biobus, and the popular education area for younger visitors The Covey.

In addition, there is the Artists in Action stand which this year features artists Emily Crookshank and Charlotte Marlow at work.

Find out more about the fair by clicking HERE.

• Click HERE for more outdoors news from Scottish Field