BRITISH UP IN ARMS ABOUT LEAD

In a surprise move, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) issued a statement on 24 February calling for the cessation within five years of the use of lead and single-use plastics (such as shotgun wads) used by those taking live quarry in the United Kingdom.

In a strongly worded statement issued just a few days later, the major UK-based shotgun ammunition manufacturers, including Eley, Lyalvale Express, Hull Cartridge and Gamebore, issued a statement of their own condemning this.

They stressed not only the fact that there had been no consultation with them by BASC prior to the issuing of the statement, but that it was simply impossible to comply with it as well. The reasons they put forward were as follows:

1. Europe is currently experiencing a steel shortage and in addition to this, many shotguns cannot use steel shot;

2. Efforts have been made to develop bio-degradable wads, and these are already in use in the United Kingdom;

3. Viable alternatives to lead such as Tungsten and Bismuth are in short supply and prohibitively expensive at this stage. If ammunition manufacturers should be forced to change to either of these alternatives, cost increases will be inevitable, and the end result will be that many shooters are simply priced out of the market. The ammunition manufacturers went further in their reply to BASC by stating that it was impossible for them to comply with the abolishment of lead and non-biodegradable plastic wads at this stage. At the time of going to press, BASC has yet to reply to their statement.