Conservative MEP Vicky Ford says she is making “good progress” in her discussions to agree revisions to the EU Firearms Directive. Following the third round of discussions between the European Parliament, Commission and Council, Mrs Ford said the three sides were moving together on a range of issues. “At the moment, the Parliament is demanding its key positions are met. We…
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A selection of books for shooting families this Christmas
BARKING MAD Two Centuries of Great Dog Stories By Tom Quinn In the shooting world we pride ourselves on the way we enable gundogs to utilise all their natural instincts to help us find, flush, shoot and collect our game. You will never see a happier animal than these working dogs, which have been…
Shooting businesses denied services by HSBC
Having heard rumours that HSBC were declining services to shooting businesses, the Countryside Alliance researched the issue and discovered that at least one customer had been informed that shooting was considered a “prohibited sport” and as such services had been denied. The business in question had written to HSBC but…
Charity clay shoot raises £63,000 for St. Richard’s Hospice and Child Bereavement UK
The clay shoot was attended by some 120 shooters plus 30 guests all of whom were provided with lunch sponsored by Luke Johnson of Pizza Express fame and Patisserie Valerie through Penyard House of Ross-on-Wye. Shooting was arranged by Alan Bewlay of the Throckmorton Gun Club and his team. An…
Countryside Alliance blasts BBC over “smear”
The Countryside Alliance has lodged a formal complaint about the BBC and accused the broadcaster of failing to adhere to its own guidelines following an episode of Inside Out London last month that explored pheasant and partridge rearing. Both the CA and BASC previously accused the BBC of “aligning itself with anti-shooting extremists” after using League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) footage in…
European avian influenza outbreak prompts precautionary bird measures in UK
Poultry keepers must now house their flocks indoors where practicable, or keep them separate from wild birds. In the case of captive gamebirds – as well as geese and other captive birds where housing is recognised by the authorities as being less practicable – steps must be taken to keep…
Increased risk of bird flu in the UK
The DEFRA-affiliated Animal and Plant Health Agency made the announcement earlier this month following an increase in reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 (which is more commonly referred to as “bird flu”) in mainland Europe, with dead wild birds reported in Hungary, Poland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands. However, the risk of the disease spreading to UK game premises and…
Purdey Awards celebrate the best of game conservation
Portloughan Shoot in Strangford, County Down, has won the 2016 Purdey Gold Award for Game and Conservation. The Purdey awards have been held annually since 1999 and each year the judges seek to celebrate the best game conservation projects to be found across the country. “They show what a well-run shoot can do to preserve and develop nature and wildlife,”…
GPs “must co-operate with firearms licensing process”
The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued new guidance instructing GPs that they ” must engage in the process of firearms licensing when requested to do so”. Following discussions with BASC and the Home Office, and taking legal advice, the BMA has also told GPs who refuse to deal with…
Send us your Boxing Day shoot photographs
Come Boxing Day, shooters all over the country will be looking forward to a day out in the fresh air, walking off the excesses of Christmas Day feasting. The Boxing Day shoot is very much a family day, when participants of all ages get together on local shoots to meet…
Bovine TB and the nuisance of urban foxes – the backlash against the John Lewis Christmas ad
If you haven’t seen the ad yet, then you can watch it right now. Those who don’t see badgers and foxes as quite so cuddly certainly had something to say about it. Leave a comment and let us know what you thought! John Lewis ad reminds me of time fox…
Shooting community raises over £162,000 for Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Originally the aim was to raise enough funds to buy Whitby RNLI a new inshore lifeboat, but this target was exceeded within the first day and enough money for two more was raised during the fundraising event. The money will be used to buy a lifeboat for the RNLI relief fleet and another lifeboat for a station…
Why we’re fans of the new Netflix TV series ‘The Crown’
Settling down to a relaxing evening watching TV, I decided to watch the well-reviewed new drama ‘The Crown’ which is now showing on Neflix. It depicts the Queen’s life, from a young princess climbing trees with her sister, through to the Coronation, her life with the Duke of Edinburgh and…
In memory of fieldsports enthusiasts and employees who served in the Great War
Richard Walton and John Cavana (pictured above) were part of a walking group which completed the 100km walk – known as the Frontline Walk – in three days, raising an impressive £180,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund. Further donations can be made here.
How the grey partridge can survive and thrive
If I did a straw poll of those who have worked with the selection of winged game we have in the UK, the grey partridge, Perdix perdix, would come top of the list. This little bird’s tenacity, endearing charm and ability as a parent raises it above almost all the rest, with the red grouse being my…
Countryside Alliance welcomes new social media laws
Earlier this month, director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders announced: “Social media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass. “Ignorance is not a defence and perceived anonymity is not an escape. Those who commit these acts, or encourage others to do the same, can and will be prosecuted,”…
Rural groups share their trick-or-treats
While the queue of trick-or- treaters at your door might cause a restless evening on Halloween, leading countryside representatives say there are bigger issues to lose sleep over. Shooting Times asked them what their own trick-or-treats would be and what issues are currently keeping them up in the middle of…
DEFRA denies Guardian claim that taxpayer’s money subsidises grouse shooting
In response, a DEFRA spokesman told the Countryside Alliance that they were surprised at the content and said it did not reflect the department’s policy towards payments to landowners. The reality is that only agricultural land is eligible for Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments as determined by Defra’s Rural Payments…
Rural groups take lead on new fox snaring code
Leading rural organisations last week launched a new code of practice on the use of snares for fox control in England. The newly published 12-page code is a collaboration between BASC, the Countryside Alliance, the Moorland Association, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO), the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the CLA,…
GWCT gives advice to help grey partridges
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is calling on farmers, landowners and the fieldsports community to help ensure that wild grey partridges survive the coming winter. In contrast to reports of optimistic partridge prospects, the early results of the GWCT 2016 Partridge Count Scheme (PCS) have caused the organisation concern, particularly regarding chicks’ chances of survival over the colder months.…