Gamebird releases and bird/poultry flu – an astounding risk to take

Mark 4 Comments
Pheasant. Photo: Tim Melling

Today the RSPB calls for a moratorium on gamebird releases, because of bird/poultry flu, in an article in the Guardian.

I’m interested in bird flu and in gamebirds.

Thanks to Wild Justice’s activity on gamebird releases I’m quoted at the very end of the article. The quote I gave the Guardian was slightly longer than what they used (I’m not complaining) and what I actually said was this:

‘Given how little is understood about the spread of avian flu it makes no sense to release tens of millions of captive-bred birds into the countryside for shooting (but then again – it never does!). They constitute an unnecessary threat to wild birds and domestic poultry. Thanks to a combination of Wild Justice’s successful legal challenge (which limits releases in England), Brexit and avian flu in continental Europe (from which millions of gamebird eggs and chicks are imported in normal years) UK release numbers will be lower in 2022 – but will still amount to millions of gamebirds unless the authorities act now.‘

 

I only mention that because I’m now going to comment on Defra’s quote in the article – and I don’t know exactly what they originally said.  But here is the published quote from Defra:

‘We recognise the significant threat posed by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to the UK’s precious wild bird populations,” a spokesperson said. “There is a ban on releasing gamebirds in all control zones, and businesses that wish to release them outside of zones are required to maintain stringent biosecurity standards and report any signs of avian influenza to minimise the spread of disease.‘

 

This lays bare Defra’s mental block on bird flu – it can’t get its head around wild birds at all.  All Defra is saying is that in areas very close to the very few commercial premises with recent outbreaks of bird/poultry flu then gamebird releases are not allowed. Big deal!

We kind of know, even from Defra’s pitifully inadequate so-called surveillance in wild birds (see here for previous blogs) that bird/poultry flu is now everywhere, by which I mean in the last five weeks: from White-tailed Eagles in Argyll and Bute to Mallard in Braintree, from Puffins in Fife to  Mute Swans and Canada Geese in Nottingham, from Herring Gulls in Bristol to a range of gull species in Shetland, Orkney, Moray, Highland, Borders, Tyneside, Sunderland, Norfolk, Huntingdonshire, Essex, London and Sussex, and from a Gannet in  Pembrokeshire to a Mute Swan in Mansfield (see Defra website on cases in wild birds).  The whole country is a bird/poultry flu zone.

And yet, and yet, Defra is content to release into the countryside potentially as many (probably not as many – see my quote above for reasons why) non-native gamebirds as the entire wild bird population put together? Really? There will be a Red-legged Partridge or Pheasant released for every Robin, Blackbird and Wren in the country, and one for every duck, goose and swan, and one for every crow, woodpecker and pigeon, and one for every… well you may have got the point even though Defra has not. One captive-bred, non-native gamebird for every wild bird at a time when bird/poultry flu is almost everywhere (although we don’t quite know that because the Defra surveillance is woeful).

It’s difficult to call captive-bred, non-native gamebirds wildlife, in this country, but given Defra’s keenness to blame wild animals as disease reservoirs this is an astounding risk to take. If Defra really believes, as they keep on saying, that wild birds are the main threat to poultry (which they might be) then how does adding tens of millions more gamebirds to the countryside look like anything other than an action that will build up more trouble this winter?

 

I have to admit that when I first heard of the RSPB position on gamebird releases I wondered whether they were stretching things a bit – but now I don’t.  I think they are right. And Defra is caught on the hons of a dilemma of its own making and needs to explain to us all how gamebird releases are safe and risk-free, and therefore why they are letting them go ahead at this time with bird flu being so prevalent.
[registration_form]

4 Replies to “Gamebird releases and bird/poultry flu – an astounding risk to take”

  1. They are a bit behind the door i am afraid, this boat has already sailed in many areas , at least where Pheasant are concerned.

  2. Re-affirmation DEFRA are in cahoots with privileged landowners . Notwithstanding the terrible risk to wild birds, further encouraging Covid infected gamekeepers to come into close contact with bird flu infected game birds seems imprudent. HN51 crossed with Covid anyone?

  3. Do you know if the Scottish Government could impose its own moratorium on game bird releases in Scotland? And whether there’s a campaign focussing on that? Or is it solely a Defra decision?

  4. Most pheasants are released in July so well behind the curve RSPB. however the point is well made and frankly DEFRA are suffering a complete dereliction of duty on this one. Then their attitude seems to be that wild birds are the problem and it doesn’t matter if a lot of them die. News for them it does matter and although releases this year will be way below what has happened in previous years it simply should not be happening at all, its called the precautionary principle. then all their pals in shooting vote Tory so we don’t want to upset them.

Comments are closed.