Eat Wild builds the commercial markets British game needs

Following the transfer of British Game Assurance (BGA) to Aim to Sustain (A2S), some of the former directors established Eat Wild, creating the rural sector’s only independent marketing board dedicated to both fur and feather game meat.

That distinction is important.

A marketing board, not a shooting organisation

Eat Wild is not a shooting organisation. It exists to ensure that the annual harvest produced by pheasant and partridge shoots, together with deerstalkers across the United Kingdom, enters the food chain in meaningful volumes. While encouraging people to enjoy a brace of pheasants at the local pub or donate surplus game within the community remains worthwhile, Eat Wild’s objective is much broader.

Its ambition is to move wild meat by the tonne, not by the brace.

How wild game reached Michelin-starred menus and major caterers

Over the past five years, Eat Wild has helped transform both the perception and consumption of game. Michelin-starred chefs feature venison, pheasant and other wild game as seasonal highlights on their menus, where sustainability is a prerequisite, thus introducing premium game meat to thousands of diners. Equally significant, however, has been the work behind the scenes with major food service providers.

Companies such as Delaware North, Sodexo and Compass collectively serve hundreds of millions of meals every year. Securing game within those supply chains has the potential to transform the market.

The Levy UK & I visit that led to a 54-tonne venison order

One of the clearest examples came through Eat Wild’s work with Levy UK & I, one of the industry’s leading contract caterers. Following 18 months of discussions, meetings and site visits, representatives from Levy UK & I were invited to visit a Gloucestershire shoot that had previously won a Purdey Gold Award. The visit showcased not only exemplary game management, but also the wider environmental and social benefits of responsible shooting – biodiversity enhancement, habitat creation and management, rural employment and thriving local communities.

That investment in building understanding paid dividends.

Levy’s first order was for 54 tonnes of venison.

Why lead-free venison is game’s way into the food chain

Some may argue that venison has always been the easier product to sell. However, the reality is more complex. Food businesses are increasingly aware of public health guidance surrounding lead ammunition. With authorities stating that there is no identified safe level of lead consumption for children and pregnant women, no responsible retailer or caterer would knowingly place products carrying that concern on their shelves.

Venison, however, is increasingly harvested using non-toxic ammunition. That gives the industry a unique opportunity.

It has become for Eat Wild a great entry meat to allow us to then discuss feathered game harvested and handled appropriately from game shoots.

Pheasant sausage rolls, game pasties and the wider product range

Once wild game has earned a place within major catering operations through lead-free venison, the door opens for a much wider range of products. Eat Wild is already working with large food service suppliers on pheasant sausage rolls, game pasties and a growing portfolio of convenient products featuring pheasant and partridge. These are the products capable of introducing millions of consumers to wild British game in an accessible, affordable and familiar format.

So, what has Eat Wild ever done for the industry?

It has created demand where none previously existed. It has built relationships with some of the world’s largest food service companies. It has championed game as a sustainable and healthy source of protein. Most importantly, it has begun creating markets capable of absorbing game in commercial volumes rather than relying on small-scale local sales.

What comes next for British game markets

Looking ahead, the challenge is even greater.

The future of the game sector depends not simply on producing more wild meat, but on ensuring there are profitable, sustainable markets ready to receive it. That means continuing to engage retailers, caterers, processors and consumers while promoting the environmental, nutritional and conservation benefits of responsibly harvested wild game.

Eat Wild’s role is not to represent shooting politics. Its purpose is to create demand, build confidence throughout the supply chain and ensure that more of Britain’s wild harvest reaches the nation’s tables. We are actively engaged in creating new products which are easy to heat and serve as well as supporting and promoting the cooking of game in schools to introduce the next generation to our harvest.

Because ultimately, the future of shooting is inseparable from the future of the food it produces. Without sustainable markets, there is no sustainable harvest. Creating those markets is precisely what Eat Wild was established to do.