BASC engaged in scrutiny of Scottish grouse Bill
BASC highlighted significant flaws in the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
Get information on the legal shooting season for mammals and birds in the UK.
Learn about our current conservation projects and how you can get involved.
Comprehensive information and advice from our specialist firearms team.
Everything you need to know about shotgun, rifle and airgun ammunition.
Find our up-to-date information, advice and links to government resources.
Everything you need to know on firearms law and licensing.
All the latest news and advice on general licences and how they affect you.
Conor O’Gorman looks at some of the battles ahead for BASC and how we can all get more involved in the political fight to protect and promote shooting.
We are only a couple of weeks into 2024 and it’s already a busy time, with the Scottish Government having launched a consultation on a suite of proposals that, if implemented, will have a lasting impact on deer management in Scotland.
More on that later, but first let’s look at some of the other key issues ahead.
Following a call for evidence and two public consultations, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will soon complete its review of lead ammunition and make its recommendations to the Defra secretary of state for consideration.
Will the HSE now do the right thing and further revise its restriction proposals before finalising its recommendations? We hope so, but if it does not, we will keep fighting for a proportionate approach based on the evidenced risks, as outlined in our consultation response.
Last year saw the most important consultation on firearms ownership in 35 years which will have an impact for decades to come. What will the Home Office decide? We could have some big battles ahead.
Added to the mix is a consultation likely launching this year on increasing firearms licensing fees in England, Wales and Scotland.
Meanwhile, we will keep working with the police and Home Office to ensure a workable and efficient licensing system across all police forces.
On the legal front, just before Christmas we were granted permission by the High Court to bring a judicial review of Defra’s decision to withdraw the general licence (GL43) which allowed the release of gamebirds in certain areas of England.
BASC’s Fighting Fund is being used to support the High Court challenge and, whether by the legal route or through ongoing continuing talks with Defra, we hope to secure a workable system for releasing birds under general licence.
Also in our sights for potential legal action is the licensing of gamebird releasing in Wales from 2025, should the Welsh Government take up Natural Resources Wales’ recommendations and proceed with draconian restrictions.
The general licences for the control of certain species of birds have been renewed across the UK. Following the removal of magpies from the GL001, individuals will now have to apply to NRW for a specific licence to control them in Wales.
In Northern Ireland we continue to push for the general licences to be amended to permit their use on a Sunday. In 2022 the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs asked for views on changes to the NI general licences, and removing historic Sunday restrictions was a key recommendation submitted by BASC. The current interim NI general licences expire on 29 February.
This year will likely see some government reviews of bird quarry lists and in advance of this, BASC has created a ‘sustainable shooting framework’. The framework provides a structured process for us to make shooting and management recommendations for quarry bird species in a consistent, evidence-based manner.
We will continue to argue for self-regulation and the actions required to justify that for each species.
A public consultation on major changes to laws around deer management in Scotland titled ‘Managing deer for climate and nature’, closes on 29 March.
The proposals are numerous and include close seasons, use of firearms, a competence register, sale of venison, deer control orders, management of farmed deer and the capture of live deer. We will soon publish more information and advice on how to respond.
Also in Scotland, major changes are afoot for the future management of our uplands, with grouse moors a particular target for restrictions.
The vehicle for this is the infamous Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill and BASC continues to lead the fight in the corridors of Holyrood to ensure that we get the best outcome for land managers and the shooting and conservation sector.
The 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections in England and Wales will take place on 2 May, the same day as local elections in many areas.
BASC will contact all candidates requesting for their commitment to budget and make resources available for all necessary improvements to their force’s firearms licensing work.
We will soon launch a digital campaign platform and will encourage everyone that shoots to get involved in this.
On top of all that, we will almost certainly see a general election in 2024, and if not, one must take place by 28 January 2025 at the very latest. Proposals that could impact shooting directly or indirectly may find their way into party manifestos and these could then be acted on by the next government.
Our political team secured positive commitments on shooting from the main political parties during last autumn’s conference season. We will continue to brief MPs on shooting and conservation, which is especially important as general election manifestos are being drawn up.
As per the PCC elections, BASC will provide digital resources to help people find their MP candidates and contact them regarding their views on shooting.
The support of the shooting community will be vital as we meet the challenges ahead and, if you are not already a BASC member, please consider joining us in our fight for sustainable shooting and conservation of the countryside.
BASC highlighted significant flaws in the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton yesterday, Alistair Carmichael MP highlighted the importance of shooting to rural Britain.
BASC remains vehemently opposed to the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.
Sign up to our weekly newsletter and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox.
© 2024 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.
If you have any questions or complaints about your BASC membership insurance cover, please email us. More information about resolving complaints can be found on the FCA website or on the EU ODR platform.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
More information about our Cookie Policy