What happens next in our case against Natural England

The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London follows Mr Justice Ritchie’s ruling in July that the regulator acted outside the law in its approach to the licensing of gamebird releases.

BASC used its Fighting Fund to bring the case, arguing that Natural England’s approach had created significant uncertainty for shoots – even forcing some to close.

BASC’s deputy director of conservation, Dr Marnie Lovejoy, said: “Our hand was forced in bringing this judicial review. We brought the challenge only after repeated attempts to resolve the issue directly with Natural England. We engaged with Natural England’s leadership and set out our concerns in detail before issuing proceedings. In ignoring those concerns, they left legal action as our only remaining route.

“This case came down to a simple principle: that public bodies must act within the law, just as they expect everyone else to. We have shown that we will use every available tool in the fight to protect shooting and the community we represent, and we hope lessons are learned from this.”