Shooting in Wales held back by ‘political correctness’

A former chairman of the Welsh Development Agency has told a Parliamentary committee that ?political correctness? is holding back shooting in Wales.

Sir Roger Jones, BASC?s council member for Wales, was giving evidence to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee?s inquiry into inward investment in the country.

He said: ?The political correctness that we have in Cardiff Bay is palpable. The value of shooting to the Welsh economy was £80million a season, about the same size as lamb exports, and it could have been doubled ever so easily if only there was a bit of focus. We could have done it, but we chose not to do it.?

Committee chairman David Davies agreed. He said: ?We run courses for surf studies on the basis that lots of surfing goes on in Wales, but there are no gamekeeping courses because it is politically incorrect, but am I right in thinking that some Americans will pay thousands of pounds for a weekend in Wales??

Last year, BASC won a £1.6million contract to boost rural sports in south-west England.

The aim of the three-year project is to promote the development of rural sporting activities in the area and to help maximise the contribution they make to the economy and tourism in the region.

Following Sir Roger?s evidence, BASC is now pursuing ways of developing a similar scheme for Wales and will be lobbying the Welsh Assembly and its individual members on the value of shooting in Wales.

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