Will game shooting go ahead this autumn?

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
can’t see it happening this year - too much risk in an already marginal business ??

who would be brave enough to book day’s now ? and for the big shoots will the big money still be there to afford it in enough volume ?
 

Doc

Member
Livestock Farmer
The trouble is chickens don,t get up to high, it would be a blood bath. But seriously, shooting a storming high bird that your dog brings back to you don,t get much better than that.
Most of the pheasants round here don’t get very high either.
Each to their own..
 

Doc

Member
Livestock Farmer
love it or hate it I think it’s fair to say that the importance of shoiting to rural economy and environment is hard to ignore
Well that’s ok then Clive. As long as it turns a coin, it’s all good? Is that the same for everything?
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Well that’s ok then Clive. As long as it turns a coin, it’s all good? Is that the same for everything?

it employs a lot of people and does a lot of environmental management, it helps land values and provides farming opportunities from those investors - none of that can be denied

the meat is probably the highest welfare and most free range you can get - unless you are vegan i think it’s rather hypocritical to think eating more intensively farmed livestock is any more acceptable

Farming “turns a coin” but also kills and can be environmentally damaging - i doubt you would wish it banned though ?


btw for some balance - i have no commercial interest in shooting, I also dislike some aspects of game shooting such as the large shoots that fail to find markets for the birds shot etc
 
Last edited:

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
it employs a lot of people and does a lot of environmental management, it helps land values and provides farming opportunities from those investors - none of that can be denied

Environmental management, if done right. Too many intensive shoots are void of diverse habitat. The birds are laid at the expense of the natural ecology.

Too many sporting estates are ran at the expense of farming, removing opportunities.


Farming “turns a coin” but also kills and can be environmentally damaging - i doubt you would wish it banned though ?

As above, too many intensively ran shoots do more damage than good.

the meat is probably the highest welfare and most free range you can get - unless you are vegan i think it’s rather hypocritical to think eating more intensively farmed livestock is any more acceptable

Except more birds shot in the last few years have been dumped/destroyed than have entered the food chain.



In balance I should say the smaller, family/syndicate ran shoots are mostly very good for the countryside, environment and local economy. It is the big, intensive commercial shoots which are the problem.
 

tr250

Member
Location
Northants
We are going ahead as usual with our 150 birds and a few people turning up in the yard on shoot days for a glorified walk. And the chap that does the game keeping in his spare time has just been laid off work with 75% pay, not much need for engineers to make formula 1 engine parts it seems
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Environmental management, if done right. Too many intensive shoots are void of diverse habitat. The birds are laid at the expense of the natural ecology.

Too many sporting estates are ran at the expense of farming, removing opportunities.




As above, too many intensively ran shoots do more damage than good.



Except more birds shot in the last few years have been dumped/destroyed than have entered the food chain.



In balance I should say the smaller, family/syndicate ran shoots are mostly very good for the countryside, environment and local economy. It is the big, intensive commercial shoots which are the problem.

i agree100% - as i said in my post i'm
not a fan of the direction many big commercial shoots have gone
 

DRC

Member
Hunting will be another interesting one!
Our small shoot does it’s bit for the local economy . Food for lunch is purchased from a local cafe/deli , then we meet up in a local pub afterwards for a meal and a few drinks .
Anything shot is eaten . Not to mention the feed and cover crops that’s bound to help feed and protect the wild birds
 

T Hectares

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Berkshire
Ours is going ahead at the moment, albeit with half of last years days planned

A small amount of locally reared birds have been sourced and the Guns will have to pay a non refundable deposit to ensure anything can happen, the bags will be what they are !!

Luckily our Underkeeper/ harvest help left in December meaning our Keeper will cope on his own and no one will need to be laid off, the downside being most of the shooting will be cantered around the bit I manage, rather than the whole estate, to make it more manageable for him, bugger...
 

Boysground

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
love it or hate it I think it’s fair to say that the importance of shoiting to rural economy and environment is hard to ignore

The knock on to the rural economy will be huge. With some very large shoots in the area doing lots of expensive corporate days it’s surprising how many people are involved. Not just the keepers beaters pickers up etc. There’s the lunch and evening meal cooks. Both the local truck stop (breakfast) and garage have a number of tweeded types visit on shoot days. A friend of mine does breakfast at his pub for one shoot. This brings thousands of pounds in for him and he’s not the only one in the area. Then there’s the accommodation being provided. The list goes on. I can’t see how shooting can continue in the same way this year but it will have a massive effect on the rural finances during the recovery period.

Bg
 

beardface

Member
Location
East Yorkshire
Our syndicate is just going to have a couple of walk up days as the bloke we get birds off has cancelled his chicks due to low demand. Will prob still put in some covers to help the natural birds and look to thin out the cocks on the walk up days.

Whether you like it or loath it shooting is a vital part of the rural economy especially to hospitality trade in the winter months. With the quoted figure being 2.5 billion annually. In Scotland I'd of thought rural pursuits make up a fair chunk of the economy.
 

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
My little syndicate is still going. 500 poults put down, that's all. Business as usual. It's not avian flu!

The head gamekeeper where I work has lots of nervous keeper colleagues on commercial shoots. The owners still plan to have their days though.
It’s early to buy pheasants yet, my neighbour cancelled some ducks, but doesn’t have pheasants chicks until 6 June. Think his plan is to assess lie of land at end of next month.
 

Boysground

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
There’s a couple of game farms in this area. My understanding is that they are only going to set eggs for definite orders with deposits paid. Eggs will be in incubators in the next couple of weeks. I would be on the phone just to be sure of the situation if I wanted anything

Bg
 

Hampton

Member
BASIS
Location
Shropshire
it employs a lot of people and does a lot of environmental management, it helps land values and provides farming opportunities from those investors - none of that can be denied

the meat is probably the highest welfare and most free range you can get - unless you are vegan i think it’s rather hypocritical to think eating more intensively farmed livestock is any more acceptable

Farming “turns a coin” but also kills and can be environmentally damaging - i doubt you would wish it banned though ?


btw for some balance - i have no commercial interest in shooting, I also dislike some aspects of game shooting such as the large shoots that fail to find markets for the birds shot etc
Sorry, there’s absolutely no way that farmed pheasant is as high welfare as most lamb and beef reared in this country!
The keepers prophylactically administer antibiotics to game birds as standard. This does not happen in beef and lamb.
I’m afraid you are showing your total lack of knowledge of the livestock sector there!
Over the past 6 months, my children have received more antibiotics than my cattle and sheep put together!
But don’t worry, I had the same discussion with a very good mate of mine before Christmas after he told me that he was reducing his meat consumption after watching game changers (basically a movie with no connection to uk ag) but was justifying carrying on shooting as pheasants were basically free range! He had no idea either!
 
Last edited:

Is the NEC a better venue for LAMMA?

  • Yes

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,035
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top