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What is 'Game Bird' Shooting?

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Game bird shooting appears to many as a classic British countryside sport, where wild birds are skilfully shot by marksmen and eaten as part of a delicious home cooked meal.

The reality, however, is that investigations, undercover filming, scientific research and economic analysis have all revealed that the perceptions of commercial ‘game’ bird shooting in the UK are deceptive. The financial benefit to the economy is exaggerated, whilst animal welfare is compromised, and our environment and landscape are put at risk.

In terms of the numbers of animals persecuted and killed, no other cruel ‘sport’ in the UK has such a devastating impact on animals as commercial 'game' bird shooting.

Despite the increasing scale of the shooting industry as represented by greater economic inputs and the increasing density of birds reared and released for shoots, the proportion of birds that are shot is decreasing each year.

What is wrong with 'game' bird shooting?

Farmed pheasants and partridges are fed and ‘protected’ from predators before being released onto shooting estates, where they are driven towards paying shooters by employees called beaters.

Wounding in game shooting is common, mainly due to an inability to judge distances, which results in up to 40 percent of birds being wounded, rather than killed outright, according to a former training officer at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Many are left to die slowly when they are not retrieved by people or dogs.

Factory farming and cage breeding

Many of the tens of millions of birds released on to UK shooting estates are bought from intensive farming systems in European countries. More than five million pheasants and over 2.1 million partridges were imported live into the UK between 1 May 2018 and 30 April 2019. In addition to over 19.7 million pheasant eggs imported from Europe. Furthermore, 54,000 hatching pheasant eggs and 5,250 live birds were imported from the USA during the same period.

These young birds can spend 20 hours or more crammed inside a crate stacked in the back of a lorry travelling from farm to shoot.

Those that are not imported are often bred in cages here in the UK. We are calling for an end to this cruel practise of breeding game birds in cages.

SIGN THE PETITION TO END THE USE OF CRUEL CAGES FOR THESE BIRDS

Trapping and snaring

To minimise predation of game birds by native predators and to maximise profit, gamekeepers will set snares and traps to target animals such as foxes, stoats and crows. However, due to the indiscriminate nature of these devices, many non-target protected and endangered species such as badgers and hares, as well as domestic cats, get caught in these traps. Snares are currently legal in England, whilst both Wales and Scotland have banned them.

Gamekeepers on grouse shooting moors cull mountain hares due to unwarranted fears that they carry a tick-borne virus which kills grouse chicks and are therefore seen as a threat to the grouse shooting industry. This is illegal in Scotland without a licence, thanks to campaigning by the League and others, but is still legal in England.

WRITE TO YOUR MP TO ASK THEM TO SUPPORT A BAN IN ENGLAND

Wildlife crime

Wildlife crime is also associated with the management practices of game bird shooting estates. Birds of prey are illegally persecuted on grouse shooting moors and in pheasant shooting woods. Studies suggest that because offenders do not distinguish between different raptor species, they can have considerable impacts on already vulnerable species.

According to the RSPB’s most recent report, the illegal persecution of hen harriers - associated with the management of moorland for grouse shooting - is both the leading cause of the hen harrier’s decline and is the most significant obstacle preventing their recovery.

Other bird of prey affected by this practice, include owls, buzzards, golden eagles and peregrine falcons.

For more information, here are four signs that a 'game' bird shooting may be happening near you.

Environmental destruction

Pheasants and red-legged partridges are not native to the UK and yet it is estimated that up to 70 million of these birds are released into the British countryside each year.

There is concern amongst conservationists that the annual mass release of these birds - with a total biomass greater than that of all our native birds combined - has an adverse impact on native wildlife.

A study on trends in the game bird shooting industry demonstrates that with the increasing size and intensification of shooting estates comes greater risk to the environment. It is believed that the intensification of the game bird shooting industry paired with the large-scale release of captive-reared birds and decreasing interest in sustainable management techniques, is likely to have negative implications for the local biodiversity around shooting estates.

Furthermore, studies and recent reports link grouse moor management with environmental degradation, river pollution, contributing to climate change and the potential link between grouse shooting moors and urban flooding.

The government has also prioritised safeguarding the profits of the game bird shooting industry, over the protection of native British species. Natural England has issued licences in recent years to kill buzzards to protect pheasant poults from their predation. This government policy has been strongly criticised by the League, RSPB and conservation experts.

Overstated economics

Our report, Shooting Animals for Sport: Worth Less analyses the findings of economic experts who were asked to review two shooting industry reports on the economics of sport shooting (PACEC 2006, 2014). The study concluded that both reports are based on ‘biased opinion’ instead of scientific fact.

As a result of such studies, we believe, as the UK's leading animal charity working to make cruel sports a thing of the past, that 'game' bird shooting is a hobby that is detrimental to the welfare of both game birds and wild animals.

Simulated pheasant shooting, partridge shooting and grouse shooting – which uses clay discs as an alternative to live birds – can provide substantial investment for rural communities and employment for loaders, technicians, catering staff, garage owners, publicans and landowners. Unlike its live-quarry-counterpart, simulated shooting allows the countryside to be conserved by benefiting all wildlife beyond the red grouse and pheasant whilst still providing economic benefits, without compromising animal welfare or being associated with wildlife crime and environmental damage.

Take action against game bird shooting

•  Sign the petition calling on the government to ban cages for game birds 
• Write to your MP and ask them to back our campaign to ban snares in England
• Find out more on the timeline of shooting.

Cage Breeding

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Pheasants and red-legged partridges are traditional ‘game’ birds used in the shooting industry. Both of these non-native species are released into the environment in huge numbers each year, on UK ‘game’ bird shooting estates.

A report commissioned by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust admitted that 47 million pheasants were released into the environment in 2016 – an increase of 588 percent over 50 years - with a maximum of 18 million of these being recorded as shot. Similarly, up to 10 million red-legged partridges were released, and up to an estimated 5.9 million of the birds were recorded as shot. Industry figures show that these numbers have continued to increase, rising to 61.2 million non-native ‘game’ birds released into the countryside in 2018.

Pheasants and partridges are mass farmed in the same way as intensively reared farm animals, yet they are not protected by humane slaughter laws and many won’t be eaten as food.

The government admitted that over 25 million pheasants and pheasant eggs were imported into the UK between 1 May 2018 and the 30 April 2019. These birds are farmed and shot in the name of 'sport', with many wounded and left to suffer.

Factory farming

According to Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), virtually all the red-legged partridges released on UK ‘game’ bird shooting estates come from breeding birds confined in barren wire-mesh cages with less space per bird than an A4 piece of paper, often for most of their life.

In the UK minimum standards exist for the protection of animals bred or kept for farming. However, it does not apply to ‘animals intended for use in competitions, shows, cultural or sporting events or activities.’ This denies birds farmed for ‘game’ bird shooting industry even the basic welfare protection given to birds farmed for food, despite the similar conditions. Pheasants have been shown to experience better welfare in a free-range system , and those bred in cages often cause injury to those they’re caged with.

Since January 2012, barren cages for egg-laying hens have been illegal in the UK and the EU. Enrichment including nest boxes, litter, perch space and claw-shortening devices must now be provided, along with slightly more room per bird. However, no minimum legal space or enrichment requirements have been implemented for caged game birds.

Will you join us in calling for an end to the use of cages for breeding ‘game’ birds? 

Sign The Petition

Rearing for slaughter

Shooting estates buy young birds from breeding farms and rear them in crowded sheds and pens, releasing them just a few weeks before shooting season begins.

According to the ‘game’ bird shooting industry, less than half of the birds released each year are killed by shooters. Millions of ‘game’ birds die on the roads surrounding shooting estates, causing damage to vehicles and distress to motorists. Others die from disease or exposure to the British weather, as both species are adapted to warmer climates.

Canned hunting

In some respects what happens on the day of a ‘game’ bird shoot is similar to what happens in the South African ‘canned’ hunting industry – where animals such as lions are tamed and confined in an enclosed area to make killing them by trophy hunters easier.

Pheasants and partridges which have been farmed, fed, 'protected’ from predators and released onto shooting estates are then driven towards paying shooters by employees called beaters.

Take action on cage breeding

Join the League in our endeavours to protect ‘game’ birds by becoming a voice for them. 

•  Join one of our supporter groups, 
• Write to your MP, 
• Sign the petition
• Share this on your social media with the hashtag #EndCageBreeding.

For more information, here are four signs that a 'game' bird shooting may be happening near you.

Snares

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What are snares?

A snare is a thin wire noose set to trap animals viewed as pests or threats, usually foxes and rabbits. These animal traps are used extensively on ‘game’ bird shoots to reduce predation of the birds intended for shooting. Snares aim to catch the animals around the neck like a lasso.

Wales and Scotland have both banned snares, but England has fallen behind. We are campaigning for a ban on snares in England. Government figures show up to 200,000 of these traps lie hidden in the English countryside at any one time.

Why are snare traps are so cruel?

The modern legal snare is meant to tighten around an animal and hold it quietly until a gamekeeper from the shoot comes to kill it. But the reality is shocking.

In their desperate struggle to escape, animals may be strangled, or may suffer horrible and sometimes life-threatening injuries, or a lingering death.

Even if the snare trap doesn’t kill the animal, they may still die at the hands of a predator, dehydration or exposure to the elements whilst trapped. If they do manage to escape the snare, the life of the animal can be negatively affected by injury, and changes in behaviour, for example.

The League Against Cruel Sports is doing everything it can to protect animals from snares, as in England they are mainly set up by shooting estates to eliminate animals that predate on 'game' birds, and therefore this is a subject linked to cruel sports.

The silent enemy, breathtaking video about the cruelty of snares, directed by Paul Murphy, starring Shaun McKee.

WRITE TO YOUR MP TODAY TO ASK THEM TO SUPPORT A BAN ON SNARES

How many animals are caught in snares?

Like landmines, snares are indiscriminate, because these wire traps can’t tell the difference between a fox, your family pet or a protected species.

As a result, the amount and diversity of animals that fall victim to these snare traps is immense. Snares capture any animal that happens to step into them.

In 2012 a UK government study found that only around a quarter of the animals caught in snares were the intended targets (normally foxes).

The remaining three quarters of the animals caught, severely injured or killed in these vicious nooses included hares, badgers, family cats and dogs, deer and even otters.

Spencer loses a leg

Spencer the lurcher was caught in a snare while walking in Coldharbour, Surrey. His owner told the League:

Spencer spent a week at the vets before a specialist decided his leg had to be amputated.

How can we change the law on snaring?

The League, as the UK's leading animal charity working to end cruel sports, will continue to campaign for a ban on snares in England because we believe that snares should be illegal. Scotland and Wales have banned snares already. It’s time that England followed suit.

There is strong support for the banning of snares amongst the British public:

• 77 percent of the British public think snares should be illegal (Ipsos MORI, 2014)
• 68 percent of MPs also support a ban on snares (Dods poll, 2015)

It is time for a complete ban on the manufacture, possession, sale and use of snares to end the suffering of the huge number of animals caught in them every year.

Who uses snares?

These days, snares are set mainly by gamekeepers on commercial ‘game’ bird shooting estates to reduce the number of birds caught by foxes.

These snares are indiscriminate and consequently catch many different species of animals, rather than just those that are considered a threat to pheasants, partridges or grouse. Snares are seldom used by people to catch their own food.

Many of the UK’s wild animals are being threatened by snares, which are set to protect the profits of private ‘game’ bird shooting interests. The League is determined to end the use of snares.

Are snares legal in England?

Yes, England is one of only five European countries where using snares is still permitted - the others being the Republic of Ireland, France, Spain and Belgium.

In England, snares can be either legal or illegal, depending on the design. All legal snare designs are intended to be ‘free running’ so that when the animal stops struggling, the wire loop should relax.

Illegal self-locking snares will continuously tighten. However, the legislation regarding snare design is vague, and dual purpose, or AB, snares have the capacity to be self-locking and are still legal.

Even legal ‘free-running’ snares can be rusted or faulty and, as such, can still cause severe injuries or death to the animals caught in them.

Legal snares can also be set in the wrong way or the wrong place, increasing their potential to cause more suffering and catch non-targeted animals. Illegal snares, such as those which are designed to kill any animals they catch, can be reported to the police or our Animal Crimewatch service if discovered to be in use.

Furthermore, Defra’s code of best practices instructs that all snares set should be checked twice a day, morning and night, in order to minimise animal suffering, though high records of animal deaths in snares implies otherwise.

This video shows the sad story of a hare caught in a snare in Northern Ireland.

Will a snaring Code of Practice work?

We welcomed the inclusion of a commitment to end to the use of snare traps in Labour’s manifesto, and we are calling on the UK government to deliver on this promise and ban these barbaric traps in England. 

The previous government believed that snare use could be controlled by a Code of Practice by providing guidelines on their use, including how and where to set them and how to avoid injury to the animals.

But its own research shows that no amount of regulation can reduce the suffering snares inflict - or the number or variety of animals caught in these lethal traps.

A 2012 government report into snaring found that, not a single fox snare operator visited was fully compliant with the Code of Practice that was valid at that time. Furthermore, a study commissioned by the shooting industry revealed that less than half of the gamekeepers involved had even read the Code.

The Welsh Government also found that adherence to an equivalent code of practice in Wales had not been demonstrated and found no evidence that the code had improved the welfare of snared animals. 

Although there are codes of best practice in England, none of them are likely to prevent non-target animals from being caught in snares, or to eliminate suffering to acceptable levels, even if they are fully complied with.

It is very difficult to enforce regulations for snaring, which occurs primarily on private land in remote locations.

England needs to follow the example set by both Scotland and Wales and ban the use of these brutal snares.

How can I help ban snaring?

Join the League in our endeavours to protect animals caught in snares by becoming a voice for them.

By joining our supporter groups, writing to your MP, or sharing this on your social media to express your concerns, together we can lead the way to a future without animals being persecuted in the name of ‘sport’.

Find out more

Watch our stunning campaign video The Silent Enemy. No animal cruelty is shown, but it clearly depicts what a snare can do.

Watch our Snare Horror Exposed video which shows the sad story of a hare caught in a snare in Northern Ireland.

Watch our Death Pit in the Countryside video which shows how animals are lured into snares by 'stink pits'

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