Shooting and Its Positive Impacts: An Overview of Our Countryside Tradition

Words by George Davis, Chairman of the Game Farmers Association, in collaboration with our partners at Marsdens, supporting the future of shooting for 70 years.

The subject of shooting and traditional rural activities has never been more contentious. Public perceptions have shifted, national debates have intensified, and many rural communities feel increasingly misunderstood or overlooked.

Making Change

If we want constructive dialogue, we must begin by understanding why the issue has become so polarising and then examine what shooting actually contributes to the United Kingdom’s landscapes, biodiversity, and rural society.

A Growing Disconnect

Over the past century, urbanisation has reshaped the nation. As cities expanded and employment opportunities concentrated in urban centres, large numbers of people moved away from rural areas. This demographic shift has created a widening disconnect between the public and the realities of countryside management.

While farmers, gamekeepers, and rural land managers have continued to shape habitats, and maintain working landscapes, public narratives have increasingly been shaped by individuals and organisations far removed from the daily challenges of environmental stewardship.

Jamie Horner of Marsden's comments "I don't think any of us would do anything that we do if it didn't impact positively on something. Whether its the farmland birds we help support and feed througout that hungry period; whether its tree planting or controlling certain species to benefit others. We know we're making a difference and if we weren't making a difference we probably wouldn't do it."

Political Polarisation

In recent years, some conservation organisations have adopted increasingly political messaging in an effort to galvanise public engagement and secure funding.

However, a question that is now commonly asked within rural circles is whether such funding is delivering meaningful ecological outcomes, or whether it is largely supporting organisational overheads - visitor centres, administrative structures, cafés, and car parks - rather than substantive habitat improvement.

The contrast between hands-on management and arm’s-length advocacy has sharpened divisions and fuelled misunderstanding. But these divisions need to stop.

Activity Drives Investment

A key point needs to be emphasised: if we want people to take an active interest in the UK’s habitats, and to invest financially in their improvement, then we must provide meaningful ways for them to connect with the land. Shooting is one such activity and arguably generates more habitat-management hours than any other single rural activity.

So many times I hear a gun bus conversation along the lines of “we only have five years left” this self prescription infuriates me. I recognise that the threats to shooting can seem ambiguous but with that attitude they will become certain.

Get Involved

It is vital now that we communicate on an individual level and become more involved with our shooting organisations to get our story across.

Our sector generates many benefits that once lost would dramatically change our lives. What will the countryside look like without shooting? It won’t be pretty!

Our story consists of many layers:

• Preserving country traditions: Shooting remains an important part of rural heritage, helping maintain customs and practices that bind communities together across generations.

• Social cohesion: Rural social events centred around shooting provide valuable opportunities for engagement, particularly for individuals who may have limited social outlets due to geographic isolation.

• Food provision: As a form of hunting and gathering, shooting offers an honest, transparent, and sustainable way of putting food on the table - one that reconnects people with where their food comes from.

• Substantial habitat investment: Estates and shoot operators routinely invest in hedgerow planting, woodland creation, predator control, and other habitat enhancements that often exceed those generated by any other countryside activity.

• Landscape-scale influence: Shooting has a management footprint across more than 60 percent of the UK countryside, far exceeding the area covered by the nature-reserve network.

• Biodiversity support: While the UK’s biodiversity index is widely regarded as low, it would likely be significantly lower without the habitat creation, supplementary feeding, and predator management associated with shooting.

With thanks again to Marsdens for sponsoring this article

Marsden's Game Feeds has been providing the UK's shooting community with high-quality, tailored nutrition for over 70 years, helping gamekeepers rear stronger, healthier birds and supporting shoots with expert advice, innovation and local service thoughtout the season. 

Marsdens Game Feeds have commissioned this four-part series to educate, inform and inspire readers, offering deeper insight into shooting and highlighting its many benefits for individuals, wildlife and the wider countryside.