Shot down

Published on Thursday 1 May 2008 21:13

Geva Blackett (Letters, 30 April) criticises the RSPB, a respected conservation organisation, for producing a report which she believes is not balanced and accuses it of using "headline figures" for publicity. This may be the opinion of the Countryside Alliance on this particular report but Ms Blackett finishes her letter by referring to Scotland's £250 million shooting industry.

It is little surprise there is no mention of where this figure came from. In 2006, a report into the economic impact of commercial shooting was commissioned by the Countryside Alliance, the British Association of Shooting and Conservation and the Country Landowners and Business Association. The report was then peer-reviewed by an academic nominated by the Countryside Alliance. What's more, the data was compiled using just 2,096 questionnaires from which half of the responses were generated by members of the CA, BASC and the Game Conservancy Trust. This can hardly be described as "balanced", yet the Countryside Alliance never misses an opportunity to remind us of this so called 250 million shooting industry.

LOUISE ROBERTSON

Scottish campaigns manager League Against Cruel Sports

Dunfermline, Fife