British Game Alliance gains momentum EVENTS

21 November

Two hundred shoots have signed up as members of the British Game Alliance (BGA), which has been created with the aim of growing the market for game meat at home and abroad.

Member shoots agree to abide by the alliance’s self-regulatory standards, which promote best practice and high welfare.

Brian Mitchell, headkeeper at Castle Hill, which has joined the BGA, said: “I have been a gamekeeper for 54 years and shooting is under attack more than ever.

“I think a change of Government will see a new drive to finish us off altogether, so using our gamebirds to help feed the nation is crucial.

“Here at Castle Hill we have joined up because if there isn’t a market for the birds we shoot, it will be one of the factors that will finish off shooting. The BGA has already signed up 200 shoots, but we need more. In fact, we need every shoot, big or small.

“The political uncertainty is still ahead, so we still have a chance to all pull together. Please join us and make a difference.”

The BGA also recently finished its training course for shoot assessors at Loddington House, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) scientific centre.

The course was delivered by the GWCT and the BGA’S auditing partners Acoura and assessors have begun to audit member shoots.