England: Wild birds killed for game birds

To protect birds bred for hobby hunting, wild birds may be killed under a recent change in the law in England.

Millions of beautiful, colourful pheasants are reared every year on British game farms. They are fattened so that they are slow and easy to shoot when the hunting season begins.

New guidelines permit shooting of predators

There has long been debate about when predators may be shot to protect the animals. Now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has introduced a definition, as part of new guidelines, of when these birds are considered livestock.

Under the general shooting licence guidelines adopted in England on 3 January, hobby hunters may legally shoot crows, magpies and jackdaws to protect pheasants, grouse and partridges.

However, only if they “are kept in an enclosure or roam freely but are significantly dependent on a keeper providing food, water or shelter for their survival”.

Unlike chickens, pheasants are not technically bred for the food industry, but to be shot.

Legal grey areas of hobby hunting

The problem for recreational hunters is that under British law, one may not shoot livestock for sporting purposes. To circumvent this, the law treats pheasants as potential livestock and wild birds, but never both at the same time.

Pheasants that are considered livestock from the time they are reared are classified as “wild animals” once they are released into the woods for hobby hunting.

Once the hunting season is over, the surviving “wild” pheasants are rounded up and returned to captivity, making them livestock once again.

By being classified as livestock, breeders and farming operations are legally protected from liability claims. In addition, the birds are entitled to the same animal welfare protections, which also grants cattle enough space, access to water and food for a “happy” life.

Ecologists advocate for fewer pheasants

In recent years, environmentalists have called for a reduction in the number of pheasants bred and released into the wild each year in England. The number of pheasants already far exceeds that of all native British birds combined.

In the 1970s, there were only 4 million pheasants. Today their total number stands at a staggering 60 million in England.

And their presence has dramatic consequences for the environment. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wild Justice and other conservation organisations in Great Britain have found that the ever-growing pheasant population is harming native wildlife.

The birds eat insects and plants and leave their droppings in sensitive habitats.

Their vocal protests prompted the British Department for Environment in 2021 to pass a law requiring hobby hunters to obtain a permit before releasing pheasants near nature reserves.