It was fantastic to be at Farndale Show, celebrating everything that makes our rural communities so special and making the case for the important contribution game shooting and moorland management make to North Yorkshire.
Shooting provides vital income for some of our most rural communities. It supports gamekeepers and beaters directly, but also brings business to local pubs, hotels, restaurants, shops and many other small businesses.
There are important environmental benefits too. Well-managed moorland provides habitats for species including curlew, lapwing, golden plover and merlin, while gamekeepers play an important role in predator control. Hen harriers have also benefited from conservation work on managed grouse moors.
That is why I am concerned by the Government's plans for further restrictions and licensing. Adding unnecessary costs and bureaucracy risks making shoots and the rural businesses that depend upon them unviable.
These policies need to be based on evidence and a proper understanding of how our countryside actually works.
I will continue standing up for game shooting, responsible moorland management and the jobs, businesses and communities they support across North Yorkshire.
