Three years of hard work pays off for British Game Assurance

Amid the excitement of a shiny new game shooting season, it can be easy to forget that we're engaged in a wild harvest, but the BGA are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that every bird that's shot finds its way to a table, and to promote British game to a wider audience.

Since the launch of the BGA, here at GunsOnPegs we have been great supporters of their work to ensure that the delicious and healthy game meat that the shooting community produces each year finds its way on to as many tables as possible. The consumption of shot game is vital to the ongoing health of shooting as a whole - with no market for the end product, shooting is in a weak position. That's why we were so thrilled to recieve an update on the progress that the not-for-profit assurance organisation has made in the last three years.

The good news is that there is lots to report:

British Soldiers are eating (and cooking) BGA game

As Napoleon (or possibly Frederick the Great of Prussia) said, an army marches on its stomach. Therefore it is great to see that Combined Services Culinary Arts team now taking British Assured Game out into the world and showcasing it as part of their competitive menus, a proud moment for everyone involved in producing and harvesting great British game. This follows years of BGA working to supply our armed forces with sustainable British Game Assured Game Meat.

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Morrisons add 6 game products for 2021

Morrisons, who have historically never stocked game, will be stocking 6 lines of British Game Assured products as of later this month, including whole birds in the Christmas range. This game will feature the BGA logo on the packaging and all stores will be presenting EatWild recipe cards produced by BGA.

Award-winning independant pub group adds game to the menu

Located in the heart of England, Peach Pubs will feature BGA game in all their 20 pubs, on a range of menus that will be changing through the season and feature on the successful specials board that they operate.

Thwaites Hotels join the game

Thwaites Hotels will be featuring game across their range on all their hotel menus and will be putting the BGA logo on their menus.

Youngs Pub group to offer game in over 200 establishments

Based primarily in London, but stretching West out to the Cotswolds, this household name will be promoting game in all its 200 Pubs & Hotels.

Gardeners guzzle game

Sodexo, one of the world’s largest catering companies, worked with BGA to offer game for the first time at the Chelsea Flower Show. Sales of BGA-assured pheasant exceeded projections by 100% and they sold out!

As well as adding new markets, existing outlets are continually growing their lines of BGA game!

Waitrose and Booths continue to sell BGA game in large numbers in all their stores
Drake and Morgan, with 19 high end bars and restaurants located from the heart of London near Kings Cross to Manchester, have BGA game on all their menus including a new Pheasant BLT.
In 2020 BGA game arrived on the shelves of Sainsbury's, who last year sold over 500,000 pheasants. This season Sainsbury's have actually increased their orders for this Christmas, with easy carve Pheasant and a 3 Bird roast
Last summer the CO-OP were delighted with the success of their BGA Game BBQ and intend to repeat the offer next year

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Game retail market grows by nearly 10% in 3 years

Kantar, the world’s leading insight and data agency, were retained to research trends in the retail market for game. They found that since the BGA was established in 2018, the game retail market, not including the great strides taken in hospitality, has grown by 9.6%. Remember, every new consumer of game is a new friend of game shooting.

Liam Stokes, Chief Executive of the BGA, said:

We wanted to announce much of the above sooner, and we hope you will understand that commercial arrangements can take many months to coordinate and bring to fruition, especially when bringing a new food product to an audience that may never have seen it before.

We have only been able to achieve these remarkable successes through the support of our BGA Shoots and Game Farms, supportive processors and retailers, and all our friends in the shooting community. Today everyone can take pride in what our community has managed to achieve.

Tomorrow brings new challenges, and we must continue to grow uptake of British Game Assurance so game shooting can look forward to a sustainable future. Every shoot that chooses to register with BGA is a shoot that is working to safeguard our community, by building a self-regulatory shield around us and growing the number of friends we can count among the general public through the promotion of game as food.

How to support the BGA and the growth of the market for shot game

Everywhere you shoot this season, ask if they are playing their part in securing a sustainable future for shooting by registering for BGA Assurance.
Invest in standards by paying the 50p levy on each bird you shoot, when it appears on your invoice or direct to us.
If you have a shoot or game farm of your own, please register for assurance.
Wherever you shop or eat out: look for the BGA logo
Be sure to enjoy some tasty BGA game this season
Take pride in this top-quality produce from some of the finest shoots in the Great British countryside.