Improved enforcement of airgun laws is required to tackle increasing misuse, say BASC and the RSPCA, which plan to set up a working group to tackle the issue. Solving airgun crime The consensus comes after the two organisations hosted a joint conference dedicated to solving the issue of airgun crime.…
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Shooters stand ground over ongoing GP fees dispute
The Countryside Alliance (CA) has given Nick Hurd MP, the Home Office minister responsible for firearms licensing, five conditions that it believes must be met before any change is made to the currently agreed system. Highlighting failings in the current process, the CA says the shooting community should not be…
The Game Fair ticket offers for our readers
To celebrate the 60th anniversary year of the Game Fair, we are offering our readers a special discount on advance tickets to The Game Fair. For it’s Diamond Anniversary The Game Fair is being held at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire from 27-29 July. Game Fair ticket offers Shooting Times, Shooting…
Electronic collars – Michael Gove recognises benefits
During environment questions at the House of Commons yesterday, Environment Secretary, Michael Gove MP advised MPs that he recognises the benefits of electronic collars used in boundary fence systems, as a consultation proposing a total ban on the use of these devices comes to a close today. Play a valuable…
How you can reward your favourite British game champions
Do you have a favourite restaurant, farmers market, pub, butcher or supermarket selling game? If so, you need to nominate them in the Eat Game Awards by 15th June 2018 to give them the recognition they deserve. The Eat Game Awards 2018 was set up to discover the champions of…
Stark choice for game industry on antibiotics
A coalition of shooting and veterinary groups has urged the game sector to make further cuts to antibiotic use in game birds. A joint statement has been released by the British Veterinary Association, BASC, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Countryside Alliance, the British Veterinary Poultry Association, the Game…
New gun laws could have ‘unintended consequences’
The Countryside Alliance (CA) and BASC have both warned of “unintended consequences” for shooters stemming from the Government’s proposed new Offensive Weapons Bill. Announced by the Home Office earlier this month, the Bill forms part of the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy and had yet to be published at the time…
Queen makes donation in support of gamekeepers
HM The Queen has shown her support for the fieldsports community by making a donation to the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust. The gift to the charity was revealed following the Trust’s annual general meeting last month, though the donated sum remains undisclosed. Founded in 1992, the Trust was set up to…
Is heather burning doomed?
About a year ago I wrote about looming problems with heather burning, saying that it would become a thing of the past on large areas of the northern uplands. It would appear that my worst fears are to be realised. There is not a ban on burning everywhere, but it…
Woodcock need a reprieve during cold, say experts
Shooters across Europe have been advised to reduce the number of woodcock they shoot during cold weather. New research suggests that for every four consecutive days of frozen conditions, the birds need a week to recover — and shooting should be balanced to allow the birds to do so. The…
Great Shires Game Fair on the way
The new Great Shires Game Fair is now just a little over a week away, promising to bring all the best of the fieldsports world to the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, on 14-15 April. The event is offering visitors the chance to take part in a variety of…
10 reasons to visit the Northern Shooting Show 2018
Taking place on Sat 12th & Sun 13th May 2018, at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, over 300 exhibitors will be in attendance and it’s a must for Northern-based shooters. Show organiser Richard Stokes comments: “Most of our established game and country fairs are based in the south of…
Government has no plans to license grouse shooting
The Government has highlighted the importance of shooting and said it has no intention to licence driven grouse shooting after responding to an online petition. The petition, which received the support of the RSPB, said that licensing was a “middle way” between an outright ban and doing nothing, which would…
English training collar ban consultation is launched
The Government has launched a consultation to seek views on a proposed electric training collar ban for cats and dogs in England, as suggested several weeks ago by the Kennel Club. The club earlier claimed that a ban on the sale and use of the devices was on the way,…
Scotland seeks to solve salmon crisis
The Scottish Government has pledged £700,000 to tackle declining wild salmon stocks. With survival rates for salmon at sea having dropped to just five per cent, ministers say that the money will help to fund new research and activities and mitigate damaging factors such as predation, illegal poaching and salmon…
London Wing Shooting Fair takes flight
The inaugural London Wing Shooting Fair, to be held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, is just days away. Co-founder John Kelley was inspired to create the show following the success of the London Fly Fishing Fair, which he launched at the same venue last year. He hopes that…
Game meat sent to those in need
Thousands of people struggling with food poverty have had a hot meal of pheasant or partridge to eat over the past two years thanks to the charitable work of the Country Food Trust. The initiative, set up by its chief executive Tim Woodward in 2016, produced more than 20,000 ready-to-eat…
English shock collar ban being considered
A consultation has been launched in to a possible ban on the sale and use of electric dog training collars in England. This follows Scotland’s commitment to ban the use of the devices last month. Their use has been prohibited in Wales since 2010. The Kennel Club pre-empted the official…
Orvis launches campaign for female flyfishers
Fieldsports brand Orvis has launched a new campaign to encourage more women to take up flyfishing and “advance gender parity” in the sport. The 50/50 on the Water initiative seeks to get more women on to the river by lowering potential barriers to the sport and celebrating their role within…
Review of firearms licensing in Scotland drives call for improvements
HMICS has powers to look into the “state, effectiveness and efficiency” of both the Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). It said that while firearms licensing in Scotland has become more consistent since the formation of Police Scotland in 2013, there are still many areas requiring improvement. A…