Army shoot faces closure after gamebird licence refusal

Shoot licence rejected despite exceeding biosecurity standards

Since March, shoots on Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have faced bureaucratic chaos. The Government withdrew General Licences for gamebird releases near protected sites due to bird flu fears, delegating decisions to Natural England. But the agency grants individual licences only in “exceptional circumstances”, a standard that appears nigh impossible to meet.

Hugh Carter, chairman of the Bulford and Tidworth Garrison Shoot, wrote to Biosecurity and Animal Welfare Minister Baroness Hayman requesting proper consideration of its application. While the Minister emphasised the decision lay with Natural England, her response was unequivocal: “I note your biosecurity protocols exceed standard requirements, including veterinary health checks, disease control training, rigorous site hygiene and timed releases to avoid peak migratory overlap.”

Rural communities and veterans at risk if Salisbury Plain shoots close

Yet Natural England still refused the application, citing inability to rule out any adverse effects releasing gamebirds might have on Salisbury Plain’s stone curlew population. No explanation was provided for how measures exceeding government standards could be insufficient.

The timing compounds difficulties. The licensing decision arrived “well into the business cycle” after keepers had been hired and preparations made, forcing shoots to absorb costs for cancelled gamebird orders.

For picker-up Mark Witham, the possibility of the Bulford and Tidworth Garrison Shoot’s closure threatens everything. When he left the Army “physically and mentally broken” after 36 years of service, the shoot became his salvation. “I’m outside with my dogs, talking to different people every day. It is fantastic for my mental wellbeing.”

BASC and gamekeepers warn Natural England decisions will damage conservation and rural jobs

Mr Carter warns of knock-on effects: “If there’s no shoot, there’s no gamekeeper, no picker-ups, no beaters, no food going into the community, no fieldsports going to the military community.”

He also points to the consequences for wildlife. Without gamebird releases, shoots cannot employ gamekeepers whose predator control directly benefits the species supposedly being protected on Salisbury Plain – the stone curlew. “If you don’t shoot the foxes, they eat the birds,” he stated bluntly.

BASC’s deputy conservation director, Marnie Lovejoy, argues Natural England ignores “the impact of removing predator control and habitat management” that shoots provide. “There is ample evidence that shows that protected bird species are thriving in areas where you have a shoot,” she said, urging Natural England to “take a step back and reassess the situation”.

But Natural England defended its position: “We have been tasked by Defra with considering individual licences for gamebird releases. But given the very high risk of transmission of this deadly disease, government policy makes clear they can only be granted if there is evidence of exceptional circumstances and clear measures to reduce risk of transmission.”

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