Game Shooting - Key Questions Answered

The Countryside Alliance has updated its briefing note on lowland game shooting, a resource for all to use who would like a comprehensive and factual summary of game shooting in the lowlands of the United Kingdom. The briefing note can be read below. 

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Shooting is a key element of the rural economy. It goes hand-in-hand with the conservation of the countryside, brings both mental and physical health benefits to participants, and provides a healthy and sustainable food source. It is as a result of shooting that habitat management and conservation are carried out on 7.6 million hectares, an area that is almost one third of the UK’s land mass. Shooting is worth £3.3 billion (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy annually and generates the equivalent of 67,000 full-time jobs. The environmental, economic and social benefits are enormous but despite this, misinformation and bias are widely spread by its opponents. Based on science and evidence, this briefing note and its accompanying Question & Answer section establishes the facts. 

Beyond the giving of figures and data, this briefing notes adds colour and context to the facts about shooting. It is crucial that shooting is not taken out of context and that its position as part of the very fabric of rural Britain is recognised. The considerable positive impact of shooting on the conservation and improvement of the British countryside is one such point that is presented, with case studies and statistics from peer reviewed scientific journals.  

The question and answer sections acts to dispel some of the more frequent misconceptions and misunderstandings that are held about game shooting. It covers the consumption of game, the practice of game rearing, the importance of predator control on the conservation of our rarest species, and the use of lead shot in game shooting. Contained within this Q&A is a link a further briefing note, prepared by the Countryside Alliance and the Game Farmers’ Association, which looks at game rearing in even greater detail.

The Countryside Alliance produces these briefing notes as freely available resources, which serve to inform policymakers and the general public about rural matters and highlight their importance in enabling the protection and celebration of the British countryside.