7 Replies to “Wild Justice seeks judicial review of 2020 gamebird releases”

  1. As DEFRA have been dragging their feet on this one ( or burying their heads in the sand?) It seems this was always going to have to go to JR.
    As I look out onto our rural Welsh garden now I can see several cock Pheasants, beautiful pests that they are.
    I have never had an objection to them being shot, indeed those birds in the garden are often added plucked and dressed to the freezer but they should not be allowed to be released in their uncontrolled millions nor Red Legged Partridges. I rather like the Dutch route, you can shoot them but you cannot release anymore.
    A question :- Are all the pheasants in the countryside the reason we have what may be a surfeit of meso-predators in this country compared to our neighbours and are those meso- predators in such numbers one of the factors in our ground nesting bird declines? Without a proper scientific answer to this and several other questions the precautionary principle says that releases should be suspended at the very least.

    1. Interesting.
      Do you have a reference for predator numbers in the UK compared to other countries?
      Also is there any data for predator numbers over time in the UK and does it correlate with gamebird release numbers (I know correlation is not causation)
      Also will poults still be imported from Europe now that we’ve Brexited?

      1. Gary – you need a copy of my British Birds paper for a reference to the first. If you email [email protected] with PHEASANT as the title you will be sent one. But it’s a paper by Roos et al. And another by Pringle et al. is relevant too.
        Imports – we’ll have to wait and see. Likewise, exports of game meat.

  3. Good for Wild Justice, this action is definitely required as game bird shooting is getting completely out of hand with landowners that hold game shoots just going “potty” in their pursuit of money.
    Whether this Government with all its vested interests in shooting our wildlife for fun will do anything to stop this activity of release is very doubtful though. However it is still worth asking for this judicial review.

    1. Bimbling – England, but the same law would apply elsewhere so would have ramifications. Of course, would have to win first!

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