The DEFRA consultation on gamebird releases has finally been issued today with a consultation period of three weeks. I, and others, will be reading this carefully over the next few days. Wild Justice intends to tell its supporters what it thinks of the consultation, and to arm them with ideas for responses, on Monday 8…
Category: REARED GAMEBIRDS
DEFRA promised consultation on gamebird releases now two weeks late
DEFRA told stakeholders (ghastly word – and anyway DEFRA’s stakeholders are taxpayers and citizens) that it would issue the necessary consultation on its promised gamebird release restrictions on 8 February. It didn’t and it still hasn’t. DEFRA has not revealed when it might issue its consulation except in an email to ‘stakeholders’ half way through…
Bird/poultry/gamebird flu update
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The Scottish government announced today a case of bird flu in captive gamebirds near Glenrothes. in an email to stakeholders the Scottish government say: These gamebirds have never been wild and so can only have caught avian influenza on the establishment. and In light of evidence from the continent and ongoing high numbers of findings…
Omnishambles
Have you ever had a colleague at work who promises everything but consistently delivers work which is of poor quality and usually arrives late too? They’re the worst aren’t they? They may be well-meaning, they may be the life and soul of the party and great fun socially but they are a total waste of…
Received today #500mmyth
I received this by email today. This is just the type of information that I hope it will be possible for individuals to submit to the DEFRA consultation on regulating gamebird releases which is promised (by DEFRA) for Monday. This letter has been edited to remove information that is personal or which would identify the…
Stroll on Pheasants!
In the latest Shooting Times, gamekeeper Alex Keeble writes about the dubious practice of catching up gamebirds after the shooting season for captive breeding purposes. He advises caution as this is a potential source of diseased birds. Ahead of the expected DEFRA consultation on gamebird releases next week, this gamekeeper writes: You may think that…
Biodegradable shotgun cartridges from Spain
Things are moving slowly in shooting, but in the right direction it seems. Fifty million biodegradable shotgun cartridges this year – that’s enough to replace just those used in Pheasant shooting in the UK in a normal year where about 15 million Pheasants are shot but that takes between three and four cartridges per downed…
Pheasant v Lapwing?
A series of images that I’ve been given, apparently from May 2012. What we see is a Lapwing which looks like it might be settling on, or getting up from, a nest. Looks a bit like a male Lapwing on crest length and amount of black – but I’m no expert on Lapwings (and males…
Writing, reading and comprehension over non-native gamebirds.
I think Matt Cross writes quite well, it’s his reading and comprehension that let him down! This is the Matt Cross who leapt into a long Twitter chain which contained a gross error because he hadn’t properly read the papers on which he was commenting. He has calmed down a bit now, for his current…
Guest blog – A Pheasant Surprise? Possible Implications of In-Combination Effects on the Gamebird Shooting Industry by Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson is a professional ecologist with 20 years’ experience undertaking surveys for a range of clients, His specialist knowledge is in invertebrate and avian ecology, and his technical knowledge informs Environmental Impact Assessments, including when relevant, Appropriate Assessment. His professional background has led to a keen interest in EU and UK law in the context…