Yareal (Shrops)

“Yareal UK’s strategy has been to secure farms and estates in two hubs, one in Lincolnshire and one in Shropshire. Our portfolio includes a commercial arable estate, a traditional agriculture and sporting estate and a range of dairy and arable farms.” Sporting estate? Oh, yes, indeed. Yareal like to portray themselves as pro-wildlife but own and promote the Llanforda Estate (“A traditional agriculture and sporting estate in an idyllic setting in Oswestry, Shropshire”) and the Three Valleys shoot (“Wild and rugged, the land at Three Valleys is known for its challenging shooting, set in the wild and stunningly beautiful territory beyond the picturesque Lake Vyrnwy.”) Gallingly (and perhaps as a hint to shooters visiting their website) a Gallery of ‘Our Wildlife‘ features three species that are routinely described as ‘quarry’: a Woodcock (Red listed as a species of conservation concern in the UK); a pheasant (a non-native species released in their millions on shooting estates across the UK); and a Brown Hare (a declining species that still has limited protection thanks to lobbying by farming and shooting interests).