Looking at lead

Looking at the justifications presented within 500 pages of consultation documents, it is clear that many of the proposals are not evidence-based and go too far. We will fight them!

Of course, the proposals may change (for better or worse), and there will be several rounds of consultation. Throughout the process, we will hold firm to some over-arching principles.

We will challenge restrictions where there are no viable alternatives to lead, where socio-economic factors mean a transition isn’t appropriate, and where lead can continue to be used in settings that present negligible or no risk.

We will fight for timelines that are realistic and guided by the sector to ensure that the range of lead-free products and their supply can meet market demands.

Working closely with other organisations, we will ensure that the needs of both live quarry and target shooting interests are considered, and we will continue to oppose one-size-fits-all restrictions.

Over the coming months there will be scientific scrutiny of the findings and proposals by members of the ‘REACH Independent Scientific Expert Pool’.

BASC has been approved as an accredited stakeholder by HSE and we will ensure that the proposals are robustly scrutinised and that any future restrictions are based on evidence and proportionate to identified risks. We will not accept disproportionate restrictions that unfairly disadvantage our members and their shooting activities.

A draft socio-economic opinion on the impact of the HSE proposals will follow later this year or in early 2023, which will also be open to public consultation.

The review will culminate in recommendations being submitted no later than April 2023 to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for consideration.

Thereafter, a legislative proposal will likely be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and consultation with devolved administrations.

If we have concerns that the resulting legislative proposals are disproportionate and will damage shooting, we will lobby for them to be revised.

Although BASC will be fighting many of the proposals, we do accept that in some settings lead ammunition poses an exposure risk that must be controlled. Managing proven risks is beneficial to the environment and the long-term future of sustainable shooting.

The sector has already committed to a voluntary transition away from lead shot and single-use plastics for live quarry shooting and has ambitions to source small and large game from lead-free supply chains.