shooting in wales

The NGO will continue to fight for shooting in Wales, after the ‘Aim to Sustain’ partnership received a letter from Julie James, Minister for Climate Change in Wales, who emphasised that: ‘The Welsh Government does not support the shooting of live quarry as a leisure activity’.  

David Pooler, Interim Chairman of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation and a gamekeeper based in North Wales, said:

“These businesses are people’s livelihoods. How can the Welsh Government come out and state it’s lack of support for a legal activity that is the backbone of the economy in many areas of rural Wales?

“We would like to know what the detail of this lack of support looks like. Seeing it written down in black and white clearly shows a lack of understanding of rural Wales and how much of its unique biodiversity relies on areas that are managed for shooting.

“We want to create a positive future for shooting in Wales, where gamekeepers continue to work on projects that help limit the impacts of climate change and manage land in ways that result in a net gain for biodiversity.

“In the meantime, the NGO will continue to work with its partners and members in the shooting sector to work with the Welsh Government and not against them to bring about both economic and environmental success.

“We are asking our members to write to their Welsh MPs to find out their views on this letter and their commitment to supporting the rural economy in Wales.”

The NGO is looking to showcase the excellent conservation work that gamekeepers do in Wales and how they support the rural economy and community. Please get in touch with us if you’d like to take part or you have a good story to tell. 

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