Activists target Guy Ritchie’s estate via hidden surveillance

Investigation launched after covert filming

Hollywood director Guy Ritchie is under investigation after activists installed hidden cameras on his 1,100-acre Ashcombe Estate in Wiltshire. The Green Britain Foundation, bankrolled by Labour donor and Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, claims footage from the estate shows workers breaching Avian Influenza Prevention Zone regulations over several days late last year. The footage has been handed to Wiltshire Council Trading Standards, which has confirmed it is now investigating.

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Alleged breaches of bird flu rules

The allegations are that game feed was scattered across open ground accessible to wild birds, feeders and drinkers were left uncovered, and corvids were filmed congregating at gamebird feeding stations. The rules require feeders to be covered, inspected and cleaned daily, and moved at least once a week. The foundation claims none of this was happening. 

It is also alleged that a bird’s leg and claw were filmed beside a feeder close to a release pen for several days, potentially breaching the legal duty to report dead wild birds to Defra immediately. “Conservation starts with obeying the law, especially during a bird flu outbreak,” Vince said in a Foundation press release.

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Questions over gamebird status

Tim Weston, director of environment, policy and politics at the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, told Shooting Times he had not seen the footage but raised a point central to the legal question.

“It is worth noting that once pheasants and partridges are released they are legally classed as wild birds, and therefore the APHA Avian Influenza Prevention Zone regulations relating to kept birds do not apply in the same way,” said Mr Weston, adding: “Gamekeepers take biosecurity seriously and work hard to protect the health of both game and wild bird populations.”

Whether the specific requirements cited by the foundation apply with equal force to a pheasant shoot is not straightforward, and that question will presumably sit at the heart of the Trading Standards investigation.

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Concerns over activist surveillance

Wiltshire Council leader Ian Thorn confirmed the probe is live: “We are currently investigating the complaint and will review all information that has been submitted. As the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The incident has highlighted growing concern about the increasing use of covert surveillance on private estates by activist groups. A number of similar operations have been reported in recent years, raising questions about trespass, the legality of placing hidden cameras on private land, and whether evidence gathered in such circumstances should carry weight with enforcement authorities.

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Background to the estate

Ritchie, who directed the 1998 film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ starring fellow shooting sports enthusiast Vinnie Jones, bought Ashcombe in 2001 while married to Madonna. He has not commented publicly on the allegations.