By Mike Lawrence – Professional Chef, Environmentalist
Interesting article. The number does not completely surprise me. Having some close ties with a number of farmers, I have witnessed many farmers jumping on the game shooting band wagon over the years, in fact I don’t know many farms that don’t.
I can only imagine because it’s lucrative and perhaps a little easier that other farming avenues, perhaps it uses parts of the land ie woods that they do not use for grazing, or provides them with an revenue at a particularly quiet time of year… but I don’t know I’ll have to ask them.
Personal Experience of Shooting
I have been on shoots myself as a beater and a gun in my younger days, although I don’t particularly enjoy the shooting nor have the finances ( as it is incredibly expensive hobby). I did enjoy the beating in the early morning and the community and social aspect of meeting people from all walks of life. Although there can be an almost theatrical class distinction within some groups, where they can play out their lord of the manor fantasies, these groups however are often frowned upon.
Involvement in Our Food Production
Most of all, I felt it was important to be involved in the food process as someone who ate meat and I should be involved with the processes of death and preparing and gutting etc. Engaging in it in a directly emotional way. I think this it is important for anyone who considers themselves a carnivore to grasp a better understanding of this (but also not only of death but of life and rearing as well). I always considered game hunting to be generally more “fair” (even though they are bred for purpose in a non native habitat and driven into guns!) other animals in the farming industry have their fates already sealed. Many birds escape as you pointed out, I had never considered this as a negative.
Wider Environmental Impact of Game Birds
I had not considered the effect on fauna. Pheasants alway seem to have ample food but it does not mean they would only just eat that. The Environmental issues that I had in mind before reading your article were the amount of soya based food that they are given ( like our chickens) and the amount of lead (if this is what is still used, to my knowledge it is) which is shot over years and years on drives.
To my knowledge predation doesn’t seem to have changed too much but that is a question again to the farmer. I certainly see more foxes here than I do in the country, maybe they are wise to move, there is hopefully less guns here!
Environmental Impact of Farming
I think that almost every aspect of farming is damaging in one way or another, but I still think that pheasant shooting is probably better than a lot of others. It does have some advantages in allowing the public to become a part of country life (without necessarily living in the country) and be involved in some aspects of the food chain. I always considered that free range game were generally more healthier and happier than say farmed chicken, and I would encourage anyone to eat game over that. I can also imagine that some farmers are increasing woodland spaces and I guess pheasants will fertilise to some degree. Although I completely agree that there seem to be just too many shoots, there is clearly a market to support it.
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