April 24, 2024
The Cairngorms National Park’s (CNPA) wildfire plan is not credible, says the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA). Muirburn professionals have accused Cairngorms leaders of not having a reasonable wildfire blueprint in place to keep people safe, despite having the 20 years since the park was established to do so. The SGA, whose members have assisted fire…
April 24, 2024
The killing of five people in Plymouth in August 2021 shocked the nation — but in the aftermath did the region’s police overreact in terms of gun licence revocation? The recently published UK Firearm Report revealed which areas have the highest rates of shotgun and firearms ownership, and which have the highest licence revocation rates. …
April 24, 2024
Eat Wild, the development board for British game, is urging shoots to secure routes to market for the birds they shoot ahead of next season. Eat Wild’s Plan for the Plate initiative sets out to encourage shoots to speak to their game dealers in good time. It suggests these early conversations will help game dealers…
April 24, 2024
Police have arrested two men over alleged breaches of Scotland’s new foxhunting legislation. The arrests followed video surveillance and complaints submitted by anti-hunt groups in the Scottish Borders. Officers have investigated six reports of illegal foxhunting since the new law was introduced last October. Police Scotland confirmed that two men, aged 29 and 55, were…
April 24, 2024
Despite huge protests, there are no plans to pause the roll out of Wales’s controversial subsidy scheme for farmers, according to Wales’s new rural affairs secretary, Huw Irranca-Davies. The Welsh government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) is set to be introduced from April 2025. Mr Irranca-Davies claimed “knotty issues” with the plans could be worked out…
April 24, 2024
Thames Water confirmed its waterways are not safe to swim in last week, as it faced claims from television naturalist Steve Backshall that the pollution found in the river was “toxic”. Samples taken by Mr Backshall close to Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works on the border of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire were analysed by the Bangor…
April 17, 2024
In February, Royal Mail announced that it would be banning the carriage of knives and other bladed items across its delivery network (News, 10 April and 14 February). In March, I wrote to several senior people at Royal Mail raising BASC’s concerns about the planned ban and the impact it would have on hundreds of…
April 17, 2024
Gamekeepers are being advised to practise stringent biosecurity as the UK has self-declared zonal freedom from bird flu. The decision is in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules and came into effect across Great Britain on 29 March. The UK does not have any high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in…
April 17, 2024
Partners and spouses of all gun licence applicants are being asked questions for the first time, as five police forces seek to strengthen licensing processes. The Metropolitan Police, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Gwent forces are testing a questionnaire designed to build a more detailed picture of those wishing to own any sort of gun. The…
April 17, 2024
Hunting and rural communities have united to take part in a cleaning-up initiative, clearing rubbish from hedgerows, roadside verges, footpaths, riverbanks and fields across the UK. The Countryside Alliance’s annual Countryside Clean-Up took place between 16 March and 1 April with representatives including hunt staff, farmers and landowners. The Warwickshire Hunt enlisted the help of…
Sponsored by Skinner’s, this week’s dog of the week is Axel. Now 11 months old, Axel was picking-up game almost as soon as he was introduced to it and and he has focus, enthusiasm and an attention span far beyond his years. He will be competing this summer before the new season. For your dog to be included, email [email protected] a picture and tell us all about them. Featured dogs receive a 15kg bag of food, via Skinner’s.