Scheme Assures Future

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By By James Ashcroft

Thursday, 10 August 2006

Shooters and keepers on test shoots give their vote of confidence to the new Shoot Assurance Scheme.

The Shoot Assurance scheme launched at this year’s CLA Game Fair is likely to affect everyone who shoots on driven shoots, buys or lets driven shooting or deals in shot game.
The scheme has been tested for the past six months on a number of different shoots around the country, including George Lopes’s shoot in Devon. In reference to its success, Mr Lopes told ST: “A scheme like this is what I and many people hoped would happen. It is the obvious way forward for shooting when you think almost everything else we do on our property is assured."
As game becomes increasingly popular in restaurants and supermarkets, it is thought that it could become a pre-requisite that supermarkets will only stock game from assured shoots.
A large proportion of the assurance criteria is based on conservation and the encouragement of a diversity of species on a shoot. Mike Swan, from the Game Conservancy Trust, has worked on this vital side to the scheme. He told ST: “We’ve been heavily involved with advising the Code of Good Shooting Practice on what it should say and we are extremely delighted that the new scheme reflects what is the best practice. If people are interested in what is best for their shoots, they shouldn’t be afraid of getting involved in the scheme. Overall, everyone is positive about the idea. I spoke to some of the keepers involved in the testing and all the feedback was positive.”
For more information on the scheme,
email gameshootingstandards@cmicertification.com or tel (01993) 885610.