Fieldsports organisations back move to end lead-shot game

The announcement by the The National Game Dealers Association (NGDA) that its members will not accept lead-shot game from next year has been welcomed by fieldsports bodies including the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance (CA), British Game Alliance (BGA) and Game Farmers’ Association (GFA).

Retailers had been warning that the public were becoming increasingly averse to lead-shot game, an observation noted by CEO of the British Game Alliance (BGA), Liam Stokes. He commented: “The British Game Alliance supported the shooting sector’s commitment to a five year phase-out of lead precisely because the stockists and retailers of BGA Assured Game were telling us that they would not tolerate lead-shot birds for long.

However the association does not represent all the UK’s game dealers and some major players in the game market are not members.

Strong future for shooting

In addition, other shooting bodies went further, suggesting that going lead-free was the way to assure a future for shooting.

A spokesperson for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance (CA), British Game Alliance (BGA) and Game Farmers’ Association (GFA) said: “A strong game market and acceptance of game meat will mean a strong future for shooting. The continued use of lead shot has become a growing blocker for the game market. This was a key driver in the announcement by the shooting organisations last year of a five-year voluntary transition away from lead shot for live quarry.”

I welcome this statement from a range of shooting organisations https://t.co/RZe6h6VJI6

'The continued use of lead shot has become a growing blocker for the game market.' @BritishGame @Gameandwildlife @BASCnews @CAupdates @MoorlandAssoc pic.twitter.com/lmJuwYLYtS

— Mark Avery (@MarkAvery) April 2, 2021

good point they are new and improved chickens these days … i have tried game birds… but picking the lead shot out, while eating, is not my thing…??????

— Richard Emsley (@GAMMAWORX) April 6, 2021

Good news that National Game Dealers’ Association will only source from lead free supply chains after July 2022. Shows consumer pressure works and that public and environmental health are important. https://t.co/vjyWLHNtFD

— Rob Williams (@robsrw) March 31, 2021

This a very welcome move and long long overdue. National Game Dealers Association going lead-free from July 2022 https://t.co/WCHWPmzVIn via @RaptorPersScot

— ScotRaptorStudy (@ScotRaptorStudy) March 31, 2021

However the association does not represent all the UK’s game dealers and some major players in the game market are not members. In addition, the move away from game shot with lead was not met with applause in some quarters.