Alliance writes to Brittany Ferries over ban on the shipment of pheasant chicks

Today our director of shooting, Adrian Blackmore, wrote to the customer services manager of Brittany Ferries, following their decision, last Friday to stop shipping pheasant chicks to the UK in response to pressure from the League Against Cruel Sports. The letter has also been copied to P&O Ferries, DFDS Seaways, and Condor Ferries Ltd.

Mr Blackmore wrote: "We are disappointed at the sudden decision taken by Brittany Ferries to ban the shipping of pheasant chicks on its ferries; a decision that appears to have been taken as a result of claims made in a video released by the League of Cruel Sports (LACS), and pressure from Luke Steele, a campaigner for the League with a criminal conviction for aggravated trespass. We would have hoped that before taking such a decision, Brittany Ferries might have first consulted those stakeholders associated with the UK's shooting industry, as not everything that one sees or hears is always as it might at first appear.

"The Countryside Alliance does not condone any act of cruelty, and the LACS video clip does indeed show some appalling footage. If some of the practices it depicts are true, then they would certainly be illegal in Britain under the Animal Welfare Act. However, the transportation of all chicks is covered by strict EU animal transport laws, with random inspections of consignments by vets both on departure and arrival. The journeys of chicks must be under 24 hours in duration, in air conditioned vehicles, and at densities that are specified in law. Chicks also have to be transported in specially made cardboard boxes, not in plastic crates as shown in the video. As it happens, the figures used by LACS are also incorrect, as more than half of the 17 million imports into the UK each year are gamebird eggs, not day-old chicks as claimed; and contrary to the claims that "many chicks do not survive", mortality rates are actually extremely low. It would not be in the interests of any importer for that to be otherwise.

"The transport of game bird chicks both into and out of the UK is conducted under exactly the same legislation as that which applies to poultry, and we therefore wonder whether, to be consistent, Brittany Ferries will also be banning the movement of all poultry? If not, then we are unclear as to how the Company intends to distinguish between the different types of gamebird chicks, and those of poultry.

"The environmental, economic and social benefits of game shooting in the UK are considerable. The Code of Good Shooting Practice, which has the Countryside Alliance, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Country Land & Business Association, the National Gamekeepers Organisation, Game Farmers Association, and National Game Dealers Association amongst its members, embodies fundamental respect for the quarry species, and care for the environment. When it comes to the release of game birds, the Code clearly states that under normal circumstances all birds should be released before the start of their shooting season, and that shooting must not commence until they are mature and fully adapted to the wild. It is also clear that no more birds are to be released than can be sustained without damage to the environment or the health of the birds - as laid down in guidelines that have been specifically produced by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust for the sustainable release of game birds.

"It would appear that the decision by Brittany Ferries to ban the shipment of all pheasant chicks has been taken without first considering all the factors governing such shipments, and the legislation that is in place. We are aware that LACS is also urging its followers to apply pressure on other shipping companies in an attempt to make them do likewise, and it is very much hoped that they will be more circumspect before making such a decision. It is also hoped that Brittany Ferries will re-consider their position between now and next Spring, when the next imports of game bird chicks would be due to take place."