guga

Protesters confront NatureScot at biodiversity conference over guga hunt licence

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  • Post last modified:16 July 2026
Protesters confront NatureScot at biodiversity conference over guga hunt licence

A noisy protest erupted outside the Biodiversity + Business Live conference at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Campaigners were challenging NatureScot over its role in licensing the controversial guga hunt. From 8am on 15 July, protesters gathered with placards and megaphones outside the conference, which NatureScot is co-hosting. They accused Scotland’s nature agency of undermining its own biodiversity commitments by licensing the annual killing of gannet chicks. Delegates arriving for the conference, including Scottish government ministers and UK business leaders, faced protesters chanting: NatureScot, shame, shame! Gannets killed in your name! Protect the Wild, one of the groups involved,…

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Council admits guga hunt ‘not in full compliance’ with food safety laws

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  • Post last modified:18 June 2026
Council admits guga hunt ‘not in full compliance’ with food safety laws

Officials say they are aware the traditional guga hunt operates outside current food safety regulations. But they claim that enforcing the law is impractical. The guga hunt is the UK’s last legal seabird hunt. Every year, the “Men of Ness” travel to the remote island of Sula Sgeir to kill up to 2,000 flightless gannet chicks, which locals call guga. The birds are slaughtered and butchered on the island before being transported back to the Isle of Lewis where they are sold and consumed. Historically, the hunt provided an important source of food for isolated island communities. Today, however, it continues…

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Western Isles MP attacks guga hunt campaigners

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  • Post last modified:12 June 2026
Western Isles MP attacks guga hunt campaigners

Torcuil Crichton MP, the Labour MP for the Western Isles, has hit back at campaigners opposing the annual guga hunt. He accused protesters of “attention-seeking behaviour” and “virtue-signalling”. In response, campaigners accused Crichton of “dismissive and belittling rhetoric”, saying he’s: lost sight of the views of his constituents. The spat comes as Scotland’s nature agency received a licence application for the guga hunt this year. The 10 man hunting team based in Ness, Isle of Lewis is seeking NatureScot’s permission to kill gannet chicks on the island of Sula Sgeir. The birds, still too young to fly, are removed from their…

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More animal welfare charities call for an end to the guga hunt

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  • Post last modified:11 June 2026
More animal welfare charities call for an end to the guga hunt

Two leading animal welfare organisations are calling on the new Scottish parliament to end the annual guga hunt on Sula Sgeir. They’ve published a new report stating that the hunt cannot be considered humane, despite a NatureScot licence condition that requires killing must be carried out humanely. This adds to the campaigning work of Protect the Wild, whose founder Rob Pownall ran for the Scottish parliament dressed as a gannet. Animal Welfare and the Guga Hunt comes out as NatureScot considers a fresh licence application for the 2026 hunt. The topic is also due to for consideration by the Scottish parliament…

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Fight to end guga hunt intensifies as NatureScot receives 2026 licence application

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  • Post last modified:8 June 2026
Fight to end guga hunt intensifies as NatureScot receives 2026 licence application

Pressure is mounting on Scotland’s nature agency after it confirmed a new licence application has been received for the guga hunt this year. The guga hunt involves the annual killing of gannet seabird chicks in the Outer Hebrides. Now the controversial practice is once again under consideration for 2026 after an application was submitted by the 10-man hunting team based in Ness on the Isle of Lewis. The hunt, which takes place on the remote island of Sula Sgeir, has been carried out for centuries and was once used for food during harsh winters. However, campaigners argue that young gannet flesh…

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