Omg that number is unbelievable, just goes to show there are people who cant sink any lower but to rear innocent birds for their warped minds to blast them with a gun i cannot get my head around the number of innocent little lives being reared to satisfy the murderous blood lust these spineless scum will murder SICK TO THE PIT OF MY STOMACH
I thought lead shot was a problem but didn’t realise the plastic issue, which is appalling. I litterpick my local park everyday and so this is yet another concern. It just shows these wealthy landowners up for what they are, irresponsible, arrogant selfish beings.
Keep up the good work, lots of us are right behind you.
Wow! What a damning and eye opening report! Natural England made a complaint???? There's a first, but only for data of course! What these morons are getting away with really beggars belief! I will be asking my Labour candidate to read this and let us know if they get in, will they act on this also?
Of course it shouldn’t but the wealthy landowner are well connected and lie and cheat to make fortunes out of abusing our countryside. Even their gamekeepers seem to be brainwashed thinking they are doing the right thing for the countryside and fight hard to keep their way of life. For the privileged few who enjoy shooting helpless defenceless birds. They poison rats etc which then kills owls and other birds of prey and mammals. They kill badgers because they eat ground bees and hedgehogs, the whole system is skewed. Nature will sort its own balance if they let it.
Quite shocking statistics but thank you PTW for highlighting the sheer greed and idiocy of the game shooting industry. I feel another channel 4 expose coming on …….
It is excellent if depressing to see such an article about pheasant rearing and shooting. Yes it is an industry and is destroying The Cheviots in Northumberland. Their silence, wildness, diversity and beauty is being dismantled, degraded and belittled by the over burgeoning presence if this activity. Is it possible to help individuals like myself to know who to write to/ request more details from or assert opposition to this destructive opressive industry. Thank with warm wishes and admiration, Sonia Ritter
I will be writing to my chocolate fireguard MP. It is never ending. Murder of the innocents by the thugs. Like the silent army, good people please move on this. Any ideas ?? Local papers? Posters?? School talks??
Agree. My MP is a Lib Dem, we got him after porn/tractor gate, and he is very positive and says all the right things re animals welfare. He will get my vote to keep out the tories. Always happy to send an email.
It now begins to make sense of how difficult controlling avian flu is proving to be. Also it highlights just how completely useless Unnatural England really is .
Another consideration should be the sheer amount of lead shot strewn about the countryside contaminating ground water etc. This was a huge problem in some of the USA territories where uninhibited shooting of wildlife takes place
Why can't those monsters just leave these poor and beautiful birds alone!!! My mother and I have always loved pheasants especially and would always move them over from the road when we saw them to prevent them from being hit by cars when we used to live in the countryside. I always thought pheasants and partridges were native to the UK and always loved seeing them. I never realised they were there just to be heartlessly murdered!!! I would love to just find them all and relocate them all where those killers can't find/get to them. I just hope all of these magnificent birds manage to fly somewhere far away and safe from these barbarians, if that is even possible.
I’m so pleased you are looking into the shooting industry. It’s barbaric irresponsible and is a blight on Our countryside- just for the sick pleasure of a few.
Hi Heather. Lovely to be able to respond to so many comments on this article., Rob Pownall (Protect the Wild's CEO) brought me in to the organsisation to work on the shooting industry. It's been a very interesting 18 months as PTW's audience has been historically engaged mostly around fox hunting but we have been building information on the shooting industry on our website all the time. We think of ourselves as still in the 'information phase' in that shooting hasn't been seen as a major issue (I'm speaking as a serious birder since the 1980s who has been campaigning on this for a long time) but we are definitely seeing more interest in our posts on birds and shooting here on Substack which is really encouraging! In the meantime please have a look at https://protectthewild.org.uk/our-campaigns/end-shooting/
Keep it coming Charlie, so informative for those of us who like to know what is really going on. Wouldn’t it be great if more of the Press picked up these stories in the run up to the election.
Thank you Mel. And yes it would, Sadly much of the press have always pushed the 'traditional' image of shooting, reporting in glowing terms on the Boxing Day pheasant shoots at Sandringham and the 'Glorious' start of the grouse slaughtering season. Things are changing - especially as more and more of us understand aminal sentience, the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis, and are losing our unquestioning attitude towards the shooting activities of the Royal family.
Thank you for your response. I think those of us who love foxes, love wildlife - all of it and don’t like the shooting industry either. As with fox hunting it is run by wealthy influential well connected people who have got themselves into positions of power and influence such as PCC’s, DEFRA and alike. The ‘stock’ is purely that to them and animal / bird welfare is not a consideration. They damage the very land they own for their perverted sport.
I am retired and so not able to do much financially but if I can help otherwise just ask. One suggestion is to make it easy to share your mails as when I can, I share to Facebook Community pages, if everyone of your supporters could share to their Facebook community noticeboards or similar, it really starts conversations and builds membership and most importantly imparts accurate knowledge.
Hi again Heather. Yes, I agree that people who love foxes, love wildlife - but there is a sort of ambivalence amongst the general public when it comes to (and I hate this phrase) 'gamebirds'. The shooting industry has been very successful at separating some birds off from others.. It's something we intend to tackle this year! But I really wanted to say is thanks so much for offering to 'spread the word' - all the Substack posts can be linked to using their individual URLs like any blog post (this one would be https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/industrial-scale-of-pheasant-shooting/) and we would be delighted if supporters like yourself were interested in sharing what we write. That would be a huge help!
Them shoots should all be shut down. So many pheasant shoots by me. They are all money grabbing cruel scum. They are gutless and most of them go out pissed out of their heads with a gun !!! So many breed just for these idiots with more money than sense. The beaters are low lifes too.
Not everyone will agree with me but I believe the people who think this is fun are only a small step away from custodial crimes. If you get pleasure from being the dominant coward with a gun then at some stage do your perverted cravings desire bigger prey? Once a coward always a coward and people who believe they are better than animals are a species which we need to be protected from. Until the evil powerful are taken out of authority there is little hope for wildlife in this country. I hope they all get lead poisoning from shot and slowly die.
Suggest the Game Farms are named and addresses given. Publicise anyone working there in any capacity, then boycott them and wherever they patronised, time to play dirty...
Hi George. Thanks for your comment. Boycotts in general are interesting, but they do depend on two key elements: enough consumers wanting to stop using the product so that producers are forced to change, and those consumers who do want to change being persuaded of an alternative that is 'better'. I don't imagine that many (if any) supporters of Protect the Wild also shoot birds - so we are not the consumers who would put pressure on these intensive rearing facilities. Shooters themselves are the consumers but appear not to care, so wouldn't boycott. There is no need for an alternative in their eyes - for us the alternative is getting rid of them altogether and stopping imports. Ending shooting will take an enormous change in public attitude and changes in the law - we're working for that, but being realistic it is atill a, long way off. It certainly doesn't help that Steve Reed, the incoming Labour government's Environment Minister, has said that the party won't ban what he labelled 'sustainable shooting' - a hideous misnomer that shows a real lack of understanding of the cumulative impacts of shooting on birds, native predators, and the environment.
Omg that number is unbelievable, just goes to show there are people who cant sink any lower but to rear innocent birds for their warped minds to blast them with a gun i cannot get my head around the number of innocent little lives being reared to satisfy the murderous blood lust these spineless scum will murder SICK TO THE PIT OF MY STOMACH
Most are not even eaten. Too full of shot and there is no retail market for them. I believe lead shot is also a problem?
Hi heather. Lead shot is a HUGE problem, yes, and compounded by the power of the shooting industry. The UK stands almost alone in still allowing lead to be sprayed across the environment: https://protectthewild.org.uk/our-campaigns/end-shooting/bird-shooting-faqs/why-are-you-opposed-to-lead-shot/
I thought lead shot was a problem but didn’t realise the plastic issue, which is appalling. I litterpick my local park everyday and so this is yet another concern. It just shows these wealthy landowners up for what they are, irresponsible, arrogant selfish beings.
Keep up the good work, lots of us are right behind you.
Wow! What a damning and eye opening report! Natural England made a complaint???? There's a first, but only for data of course! What these morons are getting away with really beggars belief! I will be asking my Labour candidate to read this and let us know if they get in, will they act on this also?
Too many conflicts of interests, one of DEFRA’s directors is a huge landowner of shooting industry
Hi Heather. Indeed, shooting has stooges in high places. You may find this of interest: https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/unelected-defra-ministers-wont-protect
This should not be allowed
Of course it shouldn’t but the wealthy landowner are well connected and lie and cheat to make fortunes out of abusing our countryside. Even their gamekeepers seem to be brainwashed thinking they are doing the right thing for the countryside and fight hard to keep their way of life. For the privileged few who enjoy shooting helpless defenceless birds. They poison rats etc which then kills owls and other birds of prey and mammals. They kill badgers because they eat ground bees and hedgehogs, the whole system is skewed. Nature will sort its own balance if they let it.
WHAT FUCKING MORONIC CRETIN WOULD WANT TO SHOOT, AND KILL A PHEASANT?? HANG ALL THESE BASTARDS.
I think we all know the “type” I wouldn’t hang them I would drop them in the sea to feed the sharks.
Quite shocking statistics but thank you PTW for highlighting the sheer greed and idiocy of the game shooting industry. I feel another channel 4 expose coming on …….
We can only hope.
Please stop this Protect The Wild!! You have my full support all the way!!!
It is excellent if depressing to see such an article about pheasant rearing and shooting. Yes it is an industry and is destroying The Cheviots in Northumberland. Their silence, wildness, diversity and beauty is being dismantled, degraded and belittled by the over burgeoning presence if this activity. Is it possible to help individuals like myself to know who to write to/ request more details from or assert opposition to this destructive opressive industry. Thank with warm wishes and admiration, Sonia Ritter
I feel powerless and would be happy to fire off some letters too.
Isn't it time that shot guns were banned ?
Hi Robert. That would be great but would require a colossal change in mindset amongst voters. At the moment not only are they considered 'tools' for a lawful activity, licences are subsidised by the public: https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/have-your-say-government-firearms
I will be writing to my chocolate fireguard MP. It is never ending. Murder of the innocents by the thugs. Like the silent army, good people please move on this. Any ideas ?? Local papers? Posters?? School talks??
Agree. My MP is a Lib Dem, we got him after porn/tractor gate, and he is very positive and says all the right things re animals welfare. He will get my vote to keep out the tories. Always happy to send an email.
It now begins to make sense of how difficult controlling avian flu is proving to be. Also it highlights just how completely useless Unnatural England really is .
Hi Margaret, Yes, we've been highlighting the avian flu issue and how shooting has ignored it for some time. See eg https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/heads-up-shooting-industry-avian-flu-is-still-killing-wild-birds and https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/scotland-avian-flu-confirmed-in-pheasants
Definitely a massive contribution.
what sort of pervert enjoys this ? I gather most of the birds shot end up in landfill, 'sick' does not begin to cover it
Another consideration should be the sheer amount of lead shot strewn about the countryside contaminating ground water etc. This was a huge problem in some of the USA territories where uninhibited shooting of wildlife takes place
Why can't those monsters just leave these poor and beautiful birds alone!!! My mother and I have always loved pheasants especially and would always move them over from the road when we saw them to prevent them from being hit by cars when we used to live in the countryside. I always thought pheasants and partridges were native to the UK and always loved seeing them. I never realised they were there just to be heartlessly murdered!!! I would love to just find them all and relocate them all where those killers can't find/get to them. I just hope all of these magnificent birds manage to fly somewhere far away and safe from these barbarians, if that is even possible.
I’m so pleased you are looking into the shooting industry. It’s barbaric irresponsible and is a blight on Our countryside- just for the sick pleasure of a few.
Hi Heather. Lovely to be able to respond to so many comments on this article., Rob Pownall (Protect the Wild's CEO) brought me in to the organsisation to work on the shooting industry. It's been a very interesting 18 months as PTW's audience has been historically engaged mostly around fox hunting but we have been building information on the shooting industry on our website all the time. We think of ourselves as still in the 'information phase' in that shooting hasn't been seen as a major issue (I'm speaking as a serious birder since the 1980s who has been campaigning on this for a long time) but we are definitely seeing more interest in our posts on birds and shooting here on Substack which is really encouraging! In the meantime please have a look at https://protectthewild.org.uk/our-campaigns/end-shooting/
Keep it coming Charlie, so informative for those of us who like to know what is really going on. Wouldn’t it be great if more of the Press picked up these stories in the run up to the election.
Thank you Mel. And yes it would, Sadly much of the press have always pushed the 'traditional' image of shooting, reporting in glowing terms on the Boxing Day pheasant shoots at Sandringham and the 'Glorious' start of the grouse slaughtering season. Things are changing - especially as more and more of us understand aminal sentience, the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis, and are losing our unquestioning attitude towards the shooting activities of the Royal family.
Thank you for your response. I think those of us who love foxes, love wildlife - all of it and don’t like the shooting industry either. As with fox hunting it is run by wealthy influential well connected people who have got themselves into positions of power and influence such as PCC’s, DEFRA and alike. The ‘stock’ is purely that to them and animal / bird welfare is not a consideration. They damage the very land they own for their perverted sport.
I am retired and so not able to do much financially but if I can help otherwise just ask. One suggestion is to make it easy to share your mails as when I can, I share to Facebook Community pages, if everyone of your supporters could share to their Facebook community noticeboards or similar, it really starts conversations and builds membership and most importantly imparts accurate knowledge.
Delighted to be involved.
Hi again Heather. Yes, I agree that people who love foxes, love wildlife - but there is a sort of ambivalence amongst the general public when it comes to (and I hate this phrase) 'gamebirds'. The shooting industry has been very successful at separating some birds off from others.. It's something we intend to tackle this year! But I really wanted to say is thanks so much for offering to 'spread the word' - all the Substack posts can be linked to using their individual URLs like any blog post (this one would be https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/industrial-scale-of-pheasant-shooting/) and we would be delighted if supporters like yourself were interested in sharing what we write. That would be a huge help!
I will certainly share with pleasure- always have to my Facebook page but started on the community page too now
Them shoots should all be shut down. So many pheasant shoots by me. They are all money grabbing cruel scum. They are gutless and most of them go out pissed out of their heads with a gun !!! So many breed just for these idiots with more money than sense. The beaters are low lifes too.
It’s a shame they don’t end up shooting each other
Not everyone will agree with me but I believe the people who think this is fun are only a small step away from custodial crimes. If you get pleasure from being the dominant coward with a gun then at some stage do your perverted cravings desire bigger prey? Once a coward always a coward and people who believe they are better than animals are a species which we need to be protected from. Until the evil powerful are taken out of authority there is little hope for wildlife in this country. I hope they all get lead poisoning from shot and slowly die.
I so agree. Psychopath types
Suggest the Game Farms are named and addresses given. Publicise anyone working there in any capacity, then boycott them and wherever they patronised, time to play dirty...
Hi George. Thanks for your comment. Boycotts in general are interesting, but they do depend on two key elements: enough consumers wanting to stop using the product so that producers are forced to change, and those consumers who do want to change being persuaded of an alternative that is 'better'. I don't imagine that many (if any) supporters of Protect the Wild also shoot birds - so we are not the consumers who would put pressure on these intensive rearing facilities. Shooters themselves are the consumers but appear not to care, so wouldn't boycott. There is no need for an alternative in their eyes - for us the alternative is getting rid of them altogether and stopping imports. Ending shooting will take an enormous change in public attitude and changes in the law - we're working for that, but being realistic it is atill a, long way off. It certainly doesn't help that Steve Reed, the incoming Labour government's Environment Minister, has said that the party won't ban what he labelled 'sustainable shooting' - a hideous misnomer that shows a real lack of understanding of the cumulative impacts of shooting on birds, native predators, and the environment.
Yes why can't this be done???
I’m with you