One email to save game shooting: why every voice counts in Defra’s review

The momentum is building. By this time last week, BASC had received copies of more than 2,000 emails sent to Defra by people sharing their experiences of game shooting.

Thank you to Richard Alderton for a great letter in last week’s issue (Letters, 23 September) making the point that what Defra is missing is not research but the ordinary records we each keep.

Richard explained that his diary contained details of his experiences of game shooting that were not recorded anywhere a civil servant could find. That information is now on record with Defra and will be considered as part of the review.

Hugh Fenwick makes a valid point in his letter (Letters, 23 September) that the evidence cuts both ways and that on some shoots unsustainable numbers of birds are being released. That is why it is so important that shoots are aware of, and follow, the GWCT gamebird release guidelines.

Last week the GWCT published a new report, Game for Nature: Why released gamebird management is a lifeline for farmland biodiversity, which is based on decades of scientific research on pheasant releasing and demonstrates the huge private investment in nature recovery that gamebird management represents.

How to respond to Defra’s gamebird review

To recap, Defra’s review of the positive and negative impacts of gamebird rearing, release and shooting in England is open until 1 November. It covers pheasant, red-legged partridge, mallard and red grouse.

You do not need to live in England to respond. If you shoot, beat, pick-up, work, run a business, or are otherwise involved in game shooting in England, your voice counts.

You can change the course of Defra’s review by emailing gamebirds@defra.gov.uk with your experiences of game shooting in England. Please copy me in at conor.ogorman@basc.org.uk and I may be in touch about using some of your submission to encourage others to get involved.

Last week I shared stories on the personal benefits of game shooting. Below are just two examples from a shoot management perspective:

“The work we have done over the past four years, slowly transforming this estate into a hive of wildlife, is incredible. We have cleared ditches and drains and, with the help of a government grant, put a 10-year forestry plan in place to restore 150 acres of unmanaged woodland. Overgrown ponds that were full of black, stinking water are now thriving with wildlife. Only last night, I watched a curlew feeding on one of the duck ponds we manage; this is practically unheard of in this area. Tell me that’s not a sign of a thriving ecosystem.”

“The extraordinary level of countryside stewardship I witness from the beating line is funded entirely by the shooting community. Gamekeepers plant cover crops, manage woodlands and maintain hedgerows. If the financial viability of shoots is destroyed, this private funding evaporates. Landowners will not have the resources to replace it, leading to neglected landscapes, overgrown habitats and severe declines in already declining populations of British songbirds, small mammals and pollinators.”

As individuals, we can each help reinforce such reports by submitting our experiences of game shooting – for us personally, for conservation, for farming and for all the businesses that benefit.

If you are reading this article there is no doubt that you have valid information to submit. If you are unsure, feel free to email me.

Thank you again to everyone who has already emailed Defra. There are around 300,000 people involved in game shooting in this country, so plenty of awareness-raising, positive peer pressure and encouragement is needed from us all.

Spread the word on shoot days

Many will not have heard about Defra’s game shooting review, so please do spread the word, especially on shoot days. Tell people to visit the BASC website, where they will find all the information they need to get their own emails into Defra by 1 November.

Dr Conor O’Gorman is BASC’s head of policy and campaigns. He has over 25 years of experience in conservation and land management and a keen interest in wild grey partridges. Contact him at conor.ogorman@basc.org.uk.