Feeling game? The ins and outs of an industry plagued with controversy

Game shooting. An industry constantly under fire and hotly debated from both sides. With the season already having begun in the UK (see here for the 2019 game shooting season) we thought we’d dig a little deeper into this controversial and sometimes misunderstood industry.

Game shooting is divisive and emotive. The Wild Justice Campaign recently received 80,000 signatures in just 10 days, so it’s clear to see this is a topic that gets people talking. Arguments against the industry include the illegal killing of protected species (e.g. hen harriers), the release of non-native birds into our countryside, heather burning, shooting with lead pellets and predatory animals like badgers, stoats and weasels being trapped and killed to protect the game birds.

On the face of it, it doesn’t sound great for game. However, industry standards can vary wildly and because of this it really does matter how you source your meat. Luckily, there are plenty of people in the industry who are passionate about animal welfare and environmental sustainability, and the British Game Alliance (BGA) have set out to make finding these people that little bit easier.

The BGA are a regulatory organisation for game shooting, working to ensure sustainability, animal welfare and environmental biodiversity. Any shooting farm registered with the BGA will be audited on a regular basis to ensure the highest standards of practice are being carried out. We’re proud to say that our wild game is shot by farmers who are BGA accredited.

BGA standards include:

• Low stocking densities to maintain animal welfare and biodiversity
• Careful monitoring of the land to benefit the wildlife and the environment
• A ban on lead pellets as legally required
• Immediate removal from the BGA if convicted of a wildlife crime

Environmental sustainability & biodiversity

BGA certified game farmers care about the environment they shoot on. In order to raise their game (no pun intended) the farmers create vast natural habitats for their birds. In turn, these habitats provide space for other birds and animals to thrive, including rare and sometimes endangered ground nesting birds. These farmers aim to create net biodiversity gain, not loss.

A report by the RSPB found that low stocking density combined with good habitat management had largely positive impacts on the environment. Farming in this way saw increases in warblers, finches, ground feeders and even small mammals like wood mice and bank voles. It was only when stocking density became high that the impact on the environment became negative.

Burning of heather & culling of hares

A particularly emotive argument for rejecting game is the culling of predators like mountain hares. It does sound drastic, but this practice is actually one that the RSPB will carry out themselves in order to boost the numbers of ground nesting birds.

The burning of heather is another heavily emotive argument against game shooting. How could the destruction of a landscape ever be good?

Burning heather has been practised for over 5000 years to benefit the farming industry, creating much of the iconic pastureland that we think of as being quintessentially British. It’s not that we need to stop burning heather entirely, it’s that we need to strike a careful balance between what we burn and what we create. Game that is BGA accredited is bound by the standard that land must be managed to benefit the wildlife and its environment – ensuring that any burning is carried out in an appropriate and sustainable way.

Food waste & the economy

Food waste has been the hot topic of 2019 and the game industry has failed to escape the glare. The worry is that birds are being shot for sport and the meat wasted, when in actual fact, most game farmers will waste as little as is physically possible. These farmers put time and money into rearing their birds, so letting them to go to waste would be about as poor a business decision as a certain department store cancelling their Christmas marketing campaign.

Birds are carefully picked up at the end of each day, bones and thighs are used to make stock and the rest can be turned into pet food. Bottom line, the hope is to keep market interest high so that more of these birds are sold to be eaten (a high-quality protein with very little fat – they mostly sell themselves).

The game industry also brings massive amounts of money into rural areas of the country that would otherwise suffer from an economic point of view. This is money that can, and will, be invested back into the environment for conservation purposes.

The take home: know how your game is sourced

Searching for game that is BGA certified is the best step you can take to protect animal welfare, the environment and the game industry as a whole. Game is controversial and the two sides of the debate are rarely seen hand-in-hand (more like fiercely opposed). In reality, we shouldn’t be pitching ourselves against each other, but instead working together to ensure a sustainable and profitable British industry that benefits our much-loved environment.

Note: The infrastructure of the assurance scheme built by British Game Assurance (BGA) was transferred to Aim to Sustain (ATSGA) in October 2023.