Pheasant shooting to be banned on public land in Wales

Pheasant shooting will be banned on public land in Wales, it was announced last night as Labour ministers were accused of “pandering” to animal rights extremists.

From next March, all requests to renew shooting licences on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate WGWE will be rejected, despite an expert review concluding the sport should continue.

The decision comes in spite of official warnings by civil servants that Natural Resources Wales, the body that manages land in question, faced “reputational risk” for acting against the scientific evidence.

Countryside groups said the move would damage the rural economy and environment, as well as threatening the future of game shooting across the UK.

Yesterday’s announcement means that no further licences to shoot on the WGWE will be granted.

Meanwhile current licences will not be renewed when the expire at the end of the upcoming season.

In addition, when birds from private estates settle on the publicly-owned areas, beaters will be banned from accessing the woods to flush them out.

Earlier this year Natural Resources Wales launched a consultation ahead of a wide-scale review which concluded that licensing for shoots on the public estate would continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

However, the Welsh Government’s Environment Minister, Hannah Blythyn, made clear her opposition to shooting, which forced to the quango to alter course.

It followed a petition to ban the practice which the League Against Cruel Sports said attracted 12,500 signatures.

The majority of shooting in Wales and the UK overall takes place on private land, meaning an Act of Parliament would be required to curtail the sport.

Garry Doolan, spokesman for the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, said: “The Environment Minister for Wales, Hannah Blythyn, has pandered to animal rights extremists and has then imposed their position onto NRW, contrary to the evidence produced by a comprehensive review and public consultation into the future of shooting on Welsh public land.

“BASC is astounded that the position of NRW, an evidence-based organisation, can be changed by the radical petitioning of extremist groups.

While, according to Ms Blythyn, the Welsh Government is opposed to pheasant shooting for “ethical” reasons, the 2017 Labour manifesto was silent on the issue.

However, the party pledged to maintain current bans on fox hunting, deer hunting and hare coursing.

The NRW’s decision last night follows Labour-run Bradford Council’s decision in January to not to renew a ten-year grouse shooting lease on Ickley moor, the last-council-owned moor in the country on which grouse shooting had been permitted.

“Shooting is worth £75 million annually to the Welsh economy, it invests £7.4 million in the maintenance and enhancement of natural resources each year and supports the equivalent of 2,400 full-time jobs,” said Mr Doolan

“BASC believes that now at risk on the say-so of an individual minister who has allowed extremism to triumph over evidence.”

Madeleine harvard, NRW’s acting chair, said: “We want to make the most of the land we manage for the people in Wales.

“As land manager, this means considering how best to make sure that we tackle the ongoing decline in our wildlife, while conserving rare animals and habitats.

“In making our final decisions, the board also accepted the Welsh Government’s position as landowner.

“We have taken the time to review all the information provided to us by a wide a range of stakeholders.”