Don’t skimp on chilling partridges this autumn

The low number of partridges has inflated their prices both in-feather and processed, leading some dealers to conclude they will offer cash for high-quality shot game later in the season. As ever, the pressure will be on to produce the high-quality birds for which a processor might pay. The long-range forecasts are for a warm autumn, and if that turns out to be correct, then everyone must pay attention to proper chilling.

This turns the spotlight back to standards. Chillers are one of the most frequent areas of non-compliance on a BGA audit, usually highlighting some easy wins on-shoot that

“The pressure will be on to produce highquality birds”

make a huge difference to the quality (and often the legality) of the game handling. The percentage of ‘green’, unusable birds coming from some shoots last season would turn your hair white, and the warmer the weather, the higher that percentage tends to climb.

Liam Stokes is chief executive of British Game Assurance and has worked at both Defra and the GWCT