How 50p a bird can save our game

Since launching in May 2018 the British Game Alliance (BGA) has made some pretty big waves throughout the world of shooting. Inevitably the basic premise of promoting the use and sale of game involves a tremendous amount of effort in terms of liaising with all the relevant parties, development, challenging the status quo and, of course, fundraising.

But at the time of writing the BGA has already seen nearly 500 shoots sign up. That’s an extraordinary sign of commitment from Britain’s providers of shooting and a very clear endorsement of what has already been achieved and the overall ambition.

No such thing as a free lunch

The more money that goes into the pot the more the message about game meat can be spread. The membership fee for shoots is linked to the number of birds shot per season; so for up to 1,000 birds per season it’s £100, and at the top end of the scale it’s £1,000 where there are more than 10,000 birds shot per season.

But to fully fund the work, such as the assurance scheme, more funds are needed, hence the introduction of the voluntary 50p per bird levy, paid by the guns. It’s up to individual shoots to communicate this to their guns and then the guns can decide if they wish to participate. For those of you asking where exactly does this 50p go, BGA head of marketing Amy Lowe told me: “This money goes to support our two main areas; the implementation of the shoot auditing scheme and the marketing of game.”

The Assurance Scheme

This system is very similar to the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme and is administered by the same organisation, Acoura. BGA managing director Tom Adams told me more about it: “The British Game Assurance Scheme gives our relevant organisations and politicians a benchmark to use in our defence. This is the first time the shooting industry has had credible standards, which can be enforced and regulated by a third party. This has an equally important role in giving retailers, stockists and most importantly consumers the confidence in the provenance of their food. To get game into mainstream retail and remove the stigma around it, we need to bring it into line with other proteins which all have assurance schemes.”

An inspector calls…

The Assurance Scheme process involves a half-day site visit from one of Acoura’s auditors. This is the ideal opportunity to assess your procedures and ask some important questions about the way your shoot is run. Many shoots already follow best practice, but it can be very helpful to have an impartial view. Think of it like an appraisal at work; a little nerve-jangling, but also an essential opportunity to assess progress, applaud success and recognise areas which need improvement.

So while it can be a little intimidating it’s an important step, as Robert Ferrers from Ditchingham Hall in Norfolk told us: "I was relatively nervous when I was informed we’d been selected for an audit. However this fear was misplaced as the audit was straight forward and the auditor was professional and was aligned to our needs. I am firmly of the belief we need to improve the image of shooting and our product so that more people can enjoy eating it without fear."

The voluntary angle

When it comes to asking guns to make a voluntary donation, it’s not a tremendously difficult decision. Even on a 400-bird day the levy equates to £25 per gun, which will be considerably less than the cost of one bird. This seems like a small price to pay to help promote the sale of game and therefore protect the future of the sport. 

Lisa Nicholls from Fine Field Sporting said: "We strongly encourage all our guns to support the 50p per bird voluntary levy to assist the BGA’s efforts to secure a long term market for the game they shoot. The uptake has been brilliant and the guns have been very supportive of this. We can’t overstate the importance of ensuring that birds harvested have been reared correctly before they enter the food chain - it’s the only ethical and defensible way to sustain the sport we love."

A message to Westminster

The BGA has come a very long way in a very short space of time but the journey is only just beginning, as Adams explained: “Within the next six months the BGA wants to see assured and labelled game product on the shelves in the multiples across the country to show the acceptance of the scheme from the food world. We are confident that we will see Assured British Game in new and exciting markets overseas as well as new innovative BGA game products in a wide plethora of UK markets. 

“We also hope to have breached the 750 shoot members mark, which is a massive number to have achieved in the 18 months we will have been operating. It will demonstrate to Westminster that the shooting community is embracing self-regulation and addressing its issues.”

The BGA welcomes all shoots of all sizes to join the movement. For more information on how to sign up a shoot, or become a supporter of the 50p levy, please visit The British Game Alliance

Photo credit - Jonathan McGee

Written by Will Hetherington, GunsOnPegs Contributing Editor

Will was the editor of the Shooting Gazette, a leading international driven shooting magazine, for 13 years. Having been involved with country sports publishing for a total of 19 years, he is now our Contributing Editor at GunsOnPegs.