Shooting

CLA Policy on Shooting

Many of our members either shoot or allow shooting over their land, for pest control or sport.

Shooting provides considerable economic, social and environmental benefits. It is important that any controls are balanced against these.

The CLA calls on the Government to:

• recognise that the legal use of firearms for sports and land management is not a problem,
• remove disproportionate restrictions on the consumption of game meat, and
• ensure the Code for Game Rearing does not go beyond what is required for best practice.

Code of Practice for Gamebird Welfare

The CLA is lobbying to have the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes withdrawn before it becomes legally binding. It is on the verge of being approved - probably in early June - so the Government must act rapidly.

The industry is happy to have a code to protect welfare. One was was agreed which codified best practice. However, several last-minute additions were made to it which had not been discussed with the Defra Gamebird Working Group, on which the CLA served. There had been no consultation on them. Some of these changes will harm birds' welfare. Others will cost millions in redundant equipment and lost turnover. (Posted 19 May 2010)

Lead Ammunition Group

This Defra group is to advise Defra and the Food Standards Authority on the key threats to wildlife from lead ammunition. If it concludes that there are significant threats it will consider how they might be solved. It will also look at whether there is a risk to human health from lead shot. The CLA's view is that the "precautionary principle" alone - acting to avoid a risk which is possible but not proved -  is not enough to justify a ban. We would expect to see peer-reviewed research proving harm before any new regulation.

Members may be interested in the summary of research on this topic submitted by the Food and Environmental Research Association, Fera.  This link will also take you to the the Lead Ammunition Group website, with full details of its members.

Background

Lead shot is already banned in wildfowl grounds because of the risk of lead poisoning of water birds - they may eat spent pellets. The effect on the population of birds is unknown. In game birds there is a much lower prevalence of lead pellets found in their digestive systems - research suggests less than five percent, and they seem to pass through their systems relatively quickly. The group will be looking carefully at research on whether or not lead shot in the environment may cause a decline in raptor numbers.

There are a number of areas of concern. Alternatives to lead shot which can be used in classic British shotguns are much more expensive and an outright ban on lead shot - not presently envisaged - could have an impact on those attempting to control pests on their land, for example.Those who stalk deer point out that lead shot is a more humane way to kill than the alternatives. Steel shot cannot be safely used in commercial woodlands: it can damage chainsaws when timber is felled.

Views and experience in the USA are mixed. Arizona, for example, has worked closely with hunters and seen condor numbers rise.

The value of shooting - economic:

• The value of shooting to the UK economy is £1.6 billion,
• Shooting supports the equivalent of almost 70,000 full-time jobs, and
• Shooters spend £2 billion each year on goods and services.

The value of shooting - environmental:

• Two million hectares (almost five million acres) are managed for conservation because of shooting,
• Shoot providers spend £250 million a year on conservation, and
• Shooters spend 2.7 million work days on conservation - the equivalent of 12,000 full-time jobs.

Contrary to its image as an activity only for the privileged, most of the shooting available in the UK is pest control - pigeon and rabbit shooting. This protects crops.

Conservation for managed shoots includes planting trees and hedges to provide better habitat. In 2004, for example, shooters spent £8 million on trees. Higher densities of butterflies are found on land managed for shoots. Rats, mink and crows are commonly shot as pests, allowing greater biodiversity. Of pheasants and partridges, 99 percent are eaten. Such birds are the ultimate in healthy, low fat, free-range food.

Figures are taken from Shooting Sports, a peer-reviewed report by the independent Public & Corporate Economic Consultants, co-sponsored by the CLA.

The Code of Good Shooting Practice

The CLA also hosts the steering committee for this code, which promotes good practice for all shooting sports. It can be downloaded here.

The Shoot Summit

The CLA is also a member of this group, which meets to consider current issues of concern and works to ensure that joined-up policy and advice are given to those who shoot.