England releases tens of millions of birds into the countryside every year so people can shoot them. Now the Government is examining what this industry actually does. Defra has opened a major call for evidence covering the rearing, release and shooting of gamebirds in England.
Crucially, this is not restricted to conditions on breeding sites. It covers the wider system, including biodiversity, protected habitats, disease, bird of prey crime, animal welfare, natural resources and wider environmental and social impacts. The consultation covers pheasants, red-legged partridges, mallards and red grouse. It is open until the 1st of November 2026.
This scrutiny is long overdue.
Millions of pheasants and partridges are released ahead of shoots each year. Many arrive from France as chicks or eggs before being reared in England and released in time to be shot during the autumn. Wild Justice co-director Dr Ruth Tingay puts the estimated number of non-native gamebirds released annually at 60 million. Her proposed solution is straightforward: stop rearing and releasing them for shooting. Because there is a danger here that the debate gets reduced to how these birds should be treated before somebody shoots them.
That completely misses the point.
Campaigners have highlighted a major legal gap between protections applying to birds farmed for food and birds reared for shooting. Chickens and other birds farmed for food are subject to legally binding minimum standards and regular inspections, while equivalent protections do not apply to sites rearing pheasants and partridges for shooting.
Humane World for Animals UK says millions of birds are bred on an industrial scale and can spend much of their lives confined in barren wire cages. The organisation has raised concerns about stress-related injuries, feather loss and exposure to extreme weather. Those conditions should obviously end. But replacing one set of cages with marginally better conditions does not answer the much bigger question.
Why are we breeding millions of sentient animals so people can shoot them for recreation in the first place?
The consequences do not stop with the birds deliberately bred to die.
Wildlife and Countryside Link says these releases put pressure on habitats and native wildlife and can increase disease risks. The organisation also raises concerns about grouse moor management, including the burning and degradation of peatlands. Large releases of non-native birds can create competition with songbirds for food. Soil and waterways are being polluted by bird droppings.
Then there is the persecution of birds of prey. Defra’s evidence review specifically includes bird of prey crime. Wildlife and Countryside Link also highlight the association between raptor persecution and land managed for gamebird shooting. The effects can spill over into the lives of people living around shoots too. Raptor Persecution UK points to reports involving restricted access, disturbance, traps catching companion animals, intimidation, property damage and dead animals being dumped in gardens. It is encouraging people affected by shooting to submit those experiences to the consultation.
All of this exists because shooting animals has been normalised as countryside recreation. Defra says no decisions have yet been made. The evidence gathered will inform possible future policy. Any later proposals would be expected to go through further consultation.
So this is not a ban. It is not even a promise of reform. But it is an opportunity to put the scale and consequences of this industry formally in front of the Government. And we should be very clear about what the destination needs to be.
Not slightly larger cages.
Not marginally fewer birds released.
Not better regulation of killing animals for entertainment.
We do not need to find a better way to breed birds to be shot. We need to stop breeding birds to be shot. Anyone can respond. Defra’s call for evidence is open until the 1st of November 2026.