Defra opens call for evidence on gamebird release and shooting

The call for evidence, announced to Parliament on Thursday by Defra minister Baroness Hayman of Ullock, opens on GOV.UK today (Friday 4 September) and runs until 1 November. It covers the rearing of gamebirds, the release of reared birds from captivity, and the shooting and land management activities that go with them, across England.

What will Defra examine?

The written statement says the Government committed in the Land Use Framework and the Animal Welfare Strategy for England to strengthening the evidence base on gamebird rearing, release and shooting. The exercise will gather evidence on biodiversity, protected sites and habitats, biosecurity and disease, bird of prey crime, animal welfare and the use of natural resources, along with other environmental or social impacts, at local, regional and national level.

“Gamebird rearing, release and shooting are established activities within rural land use and management,” the statement says. “They can contribute to rural economies and land management, but their environmental, animal health, animal welfare and wider impacts are not yet fully understood.”

Evidence submitted on release and shooting will be reviewed by independent external reviewers. The statement stresses that no decisions have been taken at this stage, and that any future proposals would be subject to public consultation.

How has the shooting community reacted?

BASC chief executive Ian Bell said: “Our sector should be under no illusion that this announcement signals a fight for the future of shooting in this country. We already have the facts and figures that support the positive impacts of sustainable shooting. The government is well aware of those figures, because it often quotes them when talking about shooting.”

He added: “I will be asking every gamekeeper, every shoot, every beater and picker-up and every rural business to get their evidence in. The people who want to see shooting shut down will be mobilising right now – we must do better than them, voice for voice, fact for fact.”

The Countryside Alliance called the exercise “yet more government proposals that threaten shooting”, while the Moorland Association has already set out why it is engaging with Defra on possible gamebird licensing.

The announcement came on the same day the High Court refused Natural England permission to appeal its gamebird release licensing defeat, leaving the July ruling in force as the wider policy debate begins. MPs have also tabled a run of written questions on gamebird rearing and release, with the first answers due from today.

What happens next?

The call for evidence is published on GOV.UK today, 4 September, and responses can be submitted until 1 November 2026. BASC says it will publish practical guidance on gathering and submitting evidence in the coming days, and the rural organisations are expected to co-ordinate their responses.

Defra will review the material submitted, including through independent external review of the evidence on release and shooting, before deciding whether to bring forward any proposals. Anything that follows would go to public consultation first. The full written statement can be read on the UK Parliament website via the links below.