NGO and shooting organisations join politicians to discuss the potential consequences of game shooting restrictions in Wales

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Last Friday, Members of Parliament and the Senedd joined more than 100 gamekeepers, business owners and Powys residents at the Llandegwyn Village Hall in Montgomeryshire for a meeting dedicated to the consultation on the gamebird release in Wales, and the future of shooting more widely.

The audience heard from a coalition of shooting organisations on the potential impacts of Natural Resources Wales’ proposal to restrict the release of gamebirds, and were urged both to submit their own responses to the consultation, and to share it far and wide.

NGO Chairman David Pooler spoke alongside representatives from the Countryside Alliance, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and BASC about the damage that could be caused to conservation, the local economy and rural communities if restrictions on shooting were implemented.

Proposals put forward by Natural Resources Wales in a 12-week consultation seek to introduce a licensing system for the release of pheasants and red-legged partridge in Wales.

In the audience at a packed Llangedwyn Village Hall were Craig Williams, MP for Montgomeryshire and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister; Russell George, MS for Montgomeryshire; and Simon Baynes, MP for Clwyd South.

The meeting’s organiser, local resident Dan Munford, said: “There are significant concerns in the local area of the job losses and economic damage from a restriction in shooting. We wanted to invite the key stakeholders to speak to the local politicians and community to ensure the potential consequences are recognised and acknowledged.”

Representatives from each shooting organisation spoke of the importance of responding to the consultation and having the voices on the ground heard.

David Pooler, Chairman of the NGO, said: “It was fantastic to engage with so many people who would be severely affected if this licencing proposal be passed, and to have MPs and MSs in the room to hear about the reality of what this would mean to rural communities.

“It would be wonderful if this could be replicated in other areas, and it would be even better if all the MSs and MPs from Wales met with their constituents and explained their position to the people who will lose their jobs, livelihoods and way of lives if these proposals are made law.

“This consultation is the biggest threat to shooting that Wales has seen to date, and the end result will likely have ramifications on shooting all across the UK. It is vital that as many of us as possible respond to this if you might in any way be affected by the loss of shooting in either Wales or the rest of the UK.”

For more information on the consultation and to respond, please click here.