Countryside, hunting and field sport news | Shooting Times

Speculation over the future of the Marine Bill.

Speculation over the future of the Marine Bill, which will impose a right of public access in England on coastal land such as that owned by wildfowling clubs, was raised last week when full-page advertisements in The Times and The Guardian newspapers urged Gordon Brown to include the Bill in The Queen’s Speech next month.

Sainsbury's support the game industry.

On the eve of BASC’s National Taste of Game Week (15 to 22 November), one of the UK’s major supermarkets, Sainsbury’s, has teamed up with the association to support the game industry.

Minority gundog breeds at risk

New Kennel Club figures reveal that several native minority gundog breeds are at risk of disappearing from the beating line and shooting peg

Famous countryside columnist receives TV interview

Richard Carr of Bucks TV filmed Shooting Times’s Countryman columnist, Fred J. Taylor, receiving his MBE from Buckinghamshire’s Lord Lieutenant in recognition of his services to angling on 15 February.

Security breach of confidential DEFRA information

An alleged security breach of confidential information held by staff members of DEFRA and Natural England has been revealed by a Shooting Times columnist.

Cocker puppy registrations soar

Cocker spaniel puppy registrations have soared by 48% over the past 10 years, according to new Kennel Club figures.

Public consultation into snares sees their use limited but not banned outright

Public consultation into snares sees their use limited but not banned outright.

Scottish airgun ban rejected

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has rejected calls for an airgun ban in Scotland.

League Against Cruel Sports membership plummets

Membership of anti-fieldsports organisation, the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS), has dramatically fallen by 20%.

Handgun ban here to stay

Only a small number of elite pistol shooters will be exempt from the handgun ban to allow them to train in the run-up to the Olympics.

Natural England's abandons right-of-way project

Natural England's (NE) multi-million pound “Discovering Lost Ways” (DLW) project is to be abandoned, it was announced on 26 February.

Lord Rooker has his say on the Poultry Register

DEFRA's minister, Lord Rooker, has said the Great British Poultry Register (GBPR) should only be used for the purpose of fighting disease.

PDSA: "1 in 3 dogs are overweight"

Nearly two million dogs in Britain are overweight, according to the charity People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

MEPs learn about moorland importance

The social, economic and conservation benefits of managed moorland in Scotland has been recognised by two European Union Parliamentary groups.

Gundogs at Crufts 2008

A collection of photos, taken by Shooting Time's David Tomlinson, from the gundog ring at Crufts 2008.

Game rearers urged to be lookout for "bulgy eye"

Game farmers are being advised by vets to be extra vigilant this year in the battle against mycoplasmosis, commonly known as bulgy-eye.

Game rearing code put on hold?

Shooting Times has learned budget cuts of up to £1billion in the next three years could mean DEFRA is unable to deliver the Game Rearing Code of Practice. The code is necessary to introduce legislation on gamebirds under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

STOP PRESS: Cannon loses Wemmergill case

Natural England's controversial case concerning a track made on Wemmergill Moor came to ahead yesterday.

Sixth swan tests positive for bird flu

A sixth swan from Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset has tested positive for bird flu, DEFRA has confirmed.

Non-native finale

The public consultation into proposals on non-native species - including a possible ban on the release of species such as green pheasants, guineafowl and ferrets - closes this week.

Poultry Register data dispute

The controversial public consultation into “possible changes of use on personal data held on the GB Poultry Register” (GBPR) draws to a close on 5 February.

Wemmergill case lost

A world-famous shooting estate is facing a bill of more than £500,000 after it was found guilty of laying a track on protected moorland.

Shooting: Not fit for children?

The row over young people shooting hots up as more schools build rifle ranges.

Animal Aid: Misguided over grey squirrels

Anti-shooting organisation Animal Aid has launched a scathing attack on bodies responsible for culling invasive non-native grey squirrels.

SCA boss moves on

The Scottish Countryside Alliance’s (SCA) chief executive, Tony Andrews, has decided to step down from his position as of 31 March, when he will become the executive director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust.

Rising feed bills to hit shoots this year

The price of gamefeed is set to rise by as much as £100 a tonne according to the Game Farmers’ Association (GFA).

Fears over plan to merge SNH and the Deer Commission

Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, has outlined his plans to abolish or merge 17 public bodies north of the border - including merging the Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

Dogged by yet more law

If you make a profit through picking-up, dog breeding or training, then you need to carry two new documents with you when you transport your dogs more than 40 miles.

Snares announcement due

The Scottish Government has today revealed its policy on the use of snares.

Badgers move to moorland

Rural organisations call for scientific research
as keepers report badgers moving to moorland

Norfolk police take action against game theft

Police are urging shoots to be on guard for poult thieves as birds go to wood

Grouse shooting ban lifted

Bradford Metropolitan District Council (MDC) is inviting individuals and companies to submit tenders for a 10-year shooting lease on the council-owned Rombalds Moor.

Keepers blamed for decline of key bird species

Shooting organisations react with anger to Natural England's latest bird study.

SGA chairman calls for greater raven control

The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association chairman Alex Hogg has backed calls from farmers to relax licensing conditions on controlling ravens.

Badger cull in Wales to eradicate TB in cattle

A “targeted cull” of badgers in Wales has been announced as part of a plan to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) in cattle.

New coastal paths threaten shoots

Northern England's coastal access plans could threaten shooting interests.

Shoots warned over health and safety laws

Shoots are being urged to ensure they have a written health and safety policy in place, as 7 saboteurs were acquitted in April of aggravated trespass, after their legal team exploited a legal grey area.

Gamekeepers blamed for wildlife crime in review

Shooting organisations are dismayed a review into Scottish wildlife crime has put raptor persecution by keepers on grouse moors as a top priority.

Have you seen this stolen spaniel?

Archie the cocker spaniel was snatched in broad daylight from his home in Hampshire on 24 April.

RSPB launches attack on keepers

In a highly provocative press release, the RSPB has explicitly accused gamekeepers of “systematically wiping out” birds of prey.