Nearly 100 people protested in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire on Saturday (11 August) to urge Yorkshire Water to ban grouse shooting from moorland across the region.
The water company said it believes a “confrontational” approach to banning shooting would not be beneficial and described it as a “complex” issue.
Yorkshire Water owns thousands of hectares of land where it also controls shooting rights, including Haworth and Stanbury moors and Turley Holes.
But the company also owns 3,530 hectares of land where shooting rights are owned by third parties and therefore banning shooting is not an option at several of its sites.
Paul Carter, political engagement manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “As one of the region’s biggest landowners we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously. Shooting is a complex issue which we continue to consider very carefully.
“In recent years we have been working with a wide range of stakeholders to tackle a range of water quality and environmental issues. Our partners in delivering this work include the owners and tenants of shooting rights, both on our land and on land owned by others. This collaborative approach has made great progress and has enabled us to jointly deliver innovative projects which deliver for everyone with an interest in land management.
“Our view is that taking a confrontational approach by banning shooting in the areas where we control the shooting rights would have less benefit than working together.”
He added: “There are significant areas of our land where we don’t control the shooting rights and therefore where we have no control over shooting activities. Working in partnership means we have been able to make meaningful improvements to water quality and the environment in these areas.
“Taking a more confrontational approach could significantly impact our ability to deliver these projects and environmental improvements in these areas, harming the environment and delivering less for our customers.
“Our ultimate aim is to ensure that we deliver the best possible environmental outcomes on our land. At the current time we believe this aim is best served by working together with all stakeholders in partnership.”
Campaigners said the aim of the protest was to persuade Yorkshire Water to stop leasing moorland around the town for grouse shooting “in light of the negative impact on wildlife, habitat, contribution to flooding and damage to the regional economy”.
Luke Steele, from Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors, said: “If Yorkshire Water wants to be recognised as taking its environmental responsibilities seriously, then ending its grouse shooting leases is the only course of action which will suffice.
“By removing the negative impact allowing the practice has on wildlife, habitat and the regional economy, Yorkshire Water will truly become the environmental champion it espouses to be.”
Protestors called on Yorkshire Water to follow Bradford Council’s example, which voted to end grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor earlier this year.
The protest was held ahead of the start of the grouse shooting season, which is known as “Glorious Twelfth”. The start of the season has been delayed at several estates as bird numbers have been hit by a harsh winter and the recent summer heatwave.