Sustainable shooting bid triggers row
LLANELLI Town Council has hit out at plans seeking the renewal of a wildfowling lease which along with conservation allows ‘sustainable’ bird shooting in parts of the Loughor Estuary.
Councillors strongly objected to the renewal proposal by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (Basc), related to use of sections of the estuary by the Carmarthenshire Wildfowlers Association, when it was considered by the town council’s planning and licensing committee.
Wildfowling involves habitat management for the purpose of conservation and the sustainable shooting of ducks, geese and waders from the foreshore on marshes and estuaries around the coast and on some major inland wetland sites.
Wildfowlers are organised into clubs and associations around the country. Many undertake clean-up and conservation work on the land on which they shoot, which can be leased or owned.
When asked to comment on the proposals, Sarah Pinnell, Basc’s head of consenting, said: “This consultation reflects a nuanced change of legal responsibility for the site as opposed to being a new shooting lease.”
However, after the planning meeting, town council Labour group press officer, Cllr Shaun Greaney, said: “We have opposed this proposal as we believe shooting for sport belongs in the past.”
He claimed he did not believe there were any conservation reasons behind the lease review and said it was particularly disturbing that the plan had been hatched when the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust was situated nearby.
However, conservation is a key element of any lease, according to Basc.
Basc had written to Llanelli Town Council seeking comments relating to a draft management plan for the Crown Estate lease of sporting rights to Carmarthenshire Wildfowlers Association on the foreshore of the Burry Inlet.
Within the letter it stated that “a management plan, to which the leaseholder must abide, confirms the leaseholder’s commitment to manage its activities in a sustainable way consistent with conservation objectives of the site.”
Cllr Greaney added: “People visit Llanelli and the surrounding area because it is peaceful and tranquil, full of natural beauty and wildlife. Shooting doesn’t really fit in with that.”
Sarah Pinnell, in response to the town council, said: “Wildfowlers are the custodians of the foreshore and conservation is at the heart of everything they do.
“They work in partnership with statutory agencies to protect threatened habitats and species, providing significant conservation benefits and wardening activities. In addition, at this site, there are statutory nature conservation requirements in place because of its ‘protected sites’ designation; this means that additional ecological assessments will be undertaken by the regulator to ensure shooting is undertaken sympathetically with the site’s needs.
“This form of sustainable wild bird harvest is one of the most ethical and responsible ways of sourcing meat for the table.”