Our free shoot visits now offer small game meat training

Across the shooting and conservation community, we often talk about standards – not as a slogan, but as a responsibility.

Responsible game management underpins everything we do. From habitat creation and predator control to the careful stewardship of released birds, modern shoots contribute significantly to the rural landscape. But once the horn sounds and the shoot day concludes, our responsibility continues. Ensuring that game entering the food chain is handled to the highest possible standard.

To help meet this challenge, BASC is now delivering a Small Game Meat Hygiene course within our free shoot visits. This provides practical, on-the-ground guidance that supports both food safety and the long-term reputation of shooting.

Game meat has one of the strongest sustainability stories of any protein source available in the UK. It is wild or carefully reared, locally sourced and harvested within managed ecosystems that deliver measurable conservation benefits.
But that story only remains credible if standards are robust.

High standards from field to fork

Small game meat hygiene begins the moment a bird is picked up. How it is handled in the field, how quickly it is gathered, transported, stored and cooled – each step directly influences quality and safety. This is covered in the Code of Good Shooting Practice Guide to Good Game Handling.

Good practice includes:

Minimising contamination in the field
Avoiding heavily damaged or contaminated birds entering the food chain
Appropriate transport and prompt chilling
Effective temperature control in the larder
Clean, well-organised storage areas
Accurate record keeping and traceability

A poorly handled bird can spoil a batch, knocking processor confidence and damaging public perception of game meat. High standards protect consumers and, in doing so, they protect shooting.

Disease pressures such as avian influenza have brought renewed focus to biosecurity and registration requirements. For shoots, this is not simply a tick-box exercise.

Strong biosecurity protects released birds, neighbouring shoots and wild populations. It reduces disease risk and demonstrates that shooting operates responsibly within a broader rural and ecological context.

The true value of a shoot visit

During a BASC shoot visit, we provide clear advice on:

Poultry registration requirements
Proportionate biosecurity measures
Pen construction and stocking densities
Predator management and legal control methods
Habitat management
Record keeping

Understanding obligations and implementing them effectively strengthens the credibility of shooting as a responsible land management activity. Conservation is not only about habitat and species management; it is also about how we operate.

BASC shoot visits are advisory and supportive. Most importantly, they are free to members. But their value is significant, especially with the inclusion of small game meat training.

This support offers significant real-world value as part of your membership. Independent calculations show that the support provided during a visit is worth more than £400 per shoot. This reflects the level of practical advice and expertise provided and broadly corresponds to what comparable advisory visits would cost if delivered commercially by other organisations.

In 2025, we delivered more than 400 shoot visits across the UK, representing an estimated value of £160,000.

Each visit provides tailored advice and expertise. More importantly, it represents reassurance that larder standards meet expectations, that documentation is correct and that biosecurity is proportionate and effective.
In an environment where shooting faces increasing scrutiny, that reassurance matters.

Securing the future of shooting

The future of shooting depends not only on conservation delivery, but also on public confidence. Shoots contribute through habitat creation, hedgerow management, winter feed provision and predator control, all of which benefit ground-nesting birds and provide significant economic input to rural communities. These outcomes are substantial, but they can be overshadowed if standards slip elsewhere.

Demonstrating excellence in small game meat hygiene, compliance, and biosecurity reinforces the message that shooting is responsible, professional, and accountable. It strengthens our social licence.

If we want to protect the future of shooting and conservation, we must continue raising standards across the board. That means professional handling, clean and well-managed larders, accurate documentation and strong biosecurity alongside a clear understanding of registration requirements.

Members can demonstrate their commitment by arranging a BASC shoot visit and completing the free Small Game Meat Hygiene course. Individual participants will receive a recognised qualification upon passing the course.

By getting the fundamentals right in the field, in the larder and in our compliance, we strengthen confidence in game meat and help safeguard the long-term future of shooting and conservation.

To book your free shoot visit and take the small game meat training, please contact your regional BASC team.

Click here for more information about small game preparation.

Image by: Sarah Philips

Ryan Darby

BASC East of England regional officer Ryan Darby was formerly a wild grey partridge keeper. He now manages a small, sustainable syndicate game shoot and enjoys early sunrises over the Wash accompanied by his Labrador. He also volunteers on an RNLI lifeboat, balancing wildlife conservation with community service.