Countryside Alliance meet with Natural Resources Wales asking for clarification on Firearms Review

The Countryside Alliance have met with Natural Resources Wales officials to discuss in detail the recent call for evidence on the use of firearms on NRW owned or managed land.

Rachel Evans, Countryside Alliance Director for Wales called the meeting to voice concerns that the Alliance has regarding the review, and to obtain clarification on the scope, evidence gathering and reporting methods that NRW intend to use in order to address the Well-being Goals of the Future Generations Act, against which shooting activities will be measured.

The seven well-being goals embedded in the Act include; a globally responsible Wales; a resilient Wales; a healthier Wales; a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language; a Wales of cohesive communities; a prosperous Wales and a more equal Wales. It is up to us to tell NRW how shooting promotes each of these goals.

Rachel Evans said:

"I have met with NRW officials to talk about the call for evidence on the use of firearms on NRW owned or managed land. I questioned the reasons for this review, the role animal rights campaigners have played in bringing it about, and what it was costing the Welsh taxpayer. We discussed the proposed review process in detail to ensure we have a thorough understanding of what they are looking for. The relevant lease-holders are Countryside Alliance members, and the review will directly or indirectly affect all of our shooting and hunting members in Wales, so we will continue to work with all our members and other stakeholders to ensure that the voice of shooting is represented fairly and robustly. I would urge anyone with an interest to contact me directly as we finalise our submission. We all need to play our part in informing NRW of the benefits of shooting in the strongest possible terms."

The submissions will be review by an internal panel within NRW. It has not been made clear whether any of the panel have any expertise in land management or experience of recreational shooting or pest control. The resulting report will then be presented to the Board with a public consultation expected to follow sometime in the summer months.