How you can fight against proposals to ban release of gamebirds in Wales (and ultimately rest of UK)

Proposals are afoot to shut down game shooting in Wales, and the support of the shooting and rural communities across the UK is needed to act now and say no.

Natural Resources Wales has launched a public opinion survey on proposals to ban and then licence the release of pheasants and red-legged partridges anywhere in Wales. They make the proposals sound reasonable, but they are not – this is an attempt to take away shooting rights by what we at BASC consider to be an anti-shooting Welsh government.

This is a Welsh government that denied Covid funding to shooting businesses and banned pheasant shooting on public land. Welsh government ministers are on record stating that they do not support shooting.

Stop the spread

What is happening in Wales is the thin end of the wedge and agencies in other UK countries are watching the outcome of this closely. Will the shooting community put up a fight and bury the consultation in red tape? Or will the antis win the popularity vote with a resounding yes to the proposals?

What you can do

You can help us win because anyone anywhere can complete the survey, which runs until 20 June, and the results will be used in decision making.

So, no matter where you live and what your shooting interests are, now is the time to make a stand – it will only take a few minutes. To complete the survey, type basc.org.uk/actnow into your web browser or scan the QR code opposite with your mobile phone camera.

Should you wish to just answer ‘no’ to all the questions about the proposals, it is fine to do so and it will take two minutes to submit your response. You will have done your bit.

Guidance if needed

If you would like to say more, please see some further guidance as follows:

Q1: Give your name.

Q2: Give your email address (optional).

Q3: Ignore unless you represent an organisation.

Q4: Say ‘no’. This is a proposed ban on releasing gamebirds, which would shut down game shooting in Wales. Furthermore, Government-commissioned research on gamebird releasing is ongoing and safeguards are already in place for gamebird releasing on protected sites.

Q5: Say ‘no’. A licensing regime is unnecessary and unworkable and can be removed at any time, resulting in an automatic gamebird releasing ban.

Q6: Say ‘no’. There is already a strong ethos of self-regulation for gamebird releasing and it is unnecessary to make the GWCT sustainable release guidelines a legal requirement through a licensing regime. GWCT guidelines have been part of the Code of Good Shooting Practice for decades and compliance is high. Furthermore, the proposal for red-legged partridge is not fit for purpose as it does not recognise how their release is managed.

Q7: Say ‘no’. There is already a strong ethos of self-regulation for gamebird releasing and it is unnecessary to make the GWCT sustainable release guidelines a legal requirement through a licensing regime. GWCT guidelines have been part of the Code of Good Shooting Practice for decades and compliance is high.

Q8: Say ‘no’. This would add even more confusion to an already unnecessary and unworkable licensing regime.

Qs 9–12: The last four questions invite views on whether the proposals could in any way affect opportunities for people to use the Welsh language. You can skip these questions if you have no comments to make.

Share

Once you have completed the survey, or if you already did so before reading this article, please encourage your network of family, friends and acquaintances to take part.

Tell them that shoots carefully manage the release of pheasants and red-legged partridges to ensure a sustainable harvest of wild food in Wales and no evidence of negative impacts from gamebird releasing have been provided to justify a draconian licensing regime across Wales.

Tell them that the proposals are ideologically driven with an anti-shooting Welsh government in power.

Tell them how entwined shooting is to the rural community and that our countryside will change forever if we don’t all fight these proposals together as one voice.

Quick facts

If you would like to share some facts with others you could say something along the following lines: the restriction proposals could lead to a loss of up to £7.4m spent annually on conservation projects by shoots across Wales, which would require the equivalent of up to 490 full-time jobs to fill the gap in managing vital habitats for rare and endangered plants and wildlife. Additionally, the Welsh economy could suffer a blow of up to £75m annually and the loss of up to 2,400 jobs, which would impact rural businesses including pubs and hotels.

Leaflets, posters and more

On the BASC website there are downloadable images you can use in emails or on social media. There are also downloadable posters and leaflets to support the campaign against the proposals. If you have time, please print some leaflets or posters to hand out or put up in your local community.