What Defra’s Gamebird Call for Evidence Means for the Shooting Community

Defra has opened a Call for Evidence examining gamebird rearing, release and shooting in England.

Running from 4 September until 1 November 2026, the exercise will gather information about the positive and negative effects of these activities. It covers subjects including biodiversity, protected habitats, animal welfare, biosecurity, disease, natural-resource use and wider environmental and social impacts.

This is not an immediate change to the law or a new licensing system. No policy decisions have yet been made, and Defra says any future proposals would be subject to a separate public consultation. However, the evidence collected could influence future government policy, which makes participation important for the shooting community. Read Defra’s official Call for Evidence

Who can respond?

Anyone with relevant evidence or direct experience can contribute. This includes:

• Shoot owners and managers
• Gamekeepers
• Farmers and landowners
• Guns, beaters and pickers-up
• Gamebird rearers and veterinary professionals
• Conservation groups and researchers
• Gundog trainers and handlers
• Hotels, pubs, shops and other rural businesses
• People living or working in communities supported by shooting

The review applies specifically to England because the relevant policy is devolved in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, Defra says evidence gathered elsewhere may still be submitted where it is relevant to the situation in England.

That means Welsh businesses and individuals may still have valuable evidence, particularly where their work, customers or experience are connected to game shooting across the border.

What counts as useful evidence?

Evidence does not have to be an academic study. Defra is accepting peer-reviewed research, official statistics, monitoring data, reports, evaluations and well-documented operational or personal experience.

The strongest submissions will contain facts and examples rather than general opinions.

Useful evidence could include:

• Wildlife surveys or records of species found on shoot-managed land
• Details of woodland, hedgerow, wetland or cover-crop management
• Records of conservation work, volunteer hours and financial investment
• Information about supplementary feeding or predator management
• Employment figures and payments made to beaters, pickers-up and contractors
• Spending with local pubs, hotels, fuel suppliers, shops and agricultural businesses
• Veterinary records, welfare procedures and biosecurity measures
• Examples of how shoots support social connections, exercise and personal wellbeing
• Evidence of rural crime prevention or cooperation within local communities

If possible, include dates, locations, figures, photographs, survey results, receipts or other records. Explain where the information came from, how it was collected and any limitations it may have.

Defra says greater weight will be given to evidence with a transparent and verifiable trail, relevant context and a clear explanation of how conclusions were reached.

Your everyday experience can matter

A small shoot may not have a formal scientific report, but it might have years of bird counts, records of hedge planting, invoices from local suppliers or photographs showing habitat improvements.

A rural business may be able to show how much income is generated by visiting shooting parties. A beater or picker-up may provide specific examples of exercise, employment and social connection. A farmer could explain how shooting supports wider land management or makes conservation work financially possible.

These experiences are valuable when they are clearly explained and supported with practical detail.

BASC recommends writing in your own words and concentrating on what you have personally seen, delivered or recorded. A response can be only a few well-supported paragraphs; it does not have to be a lengthy technical document. BASC guidance on what counts as evidence

Why do submissions matter?

Defra intends to use the evidence to improve its understanding of gamebird rearing, release and shooting before considering future policy.

Information relating to gamebird release and shooting will also be reviewed by independent external reviewers. If evidence from working shoots, rural businesses and participants is not submitted, their contribution may not be fully represented in that process.

This is therefore an opportunity to place real experiences, conservation results and economic information directly before policymakers.

Submissions should be honest and balanced. Where challenges exist, explain how they are managed. Where shooting produces measurable benefits, provide examples and supporting information.

How to respond

Responses can be submitted through the official Defra consultation page before 1 November 2026.

BASC also advises that individuals can send a concise evidence-based account to gamebirds@defra.gov.uk, copying evidence@basc.org.uk if they would like BASC’s evidence team to record sector engagement.

Before submitting, remember to:

1. Describe your role or connection to game shooting.
2. Explain what you have personally observed or recorded.
3. Include specific examples, figures and timeframes.
4. Attach or link to supporting material where possible.
5. Be clear about how the evidence was gathered.
6. Submit everything before 1 November.

The future debate should be informed by evidence from the people who understand game shooting, land management and rural communities firsthand. Now is the time to make sure that experience is included.