Labour ‘declares war’ on countryside activity that ‘employs tens of thousands’

Labour’s plans to introduce stricter regulations for pheasant shooting has been slammed as a “declaration of war” on a rural industry that “employs tens of thousands”. The Government raised the possibility of tightening regulations around the release of birds such as pheasants and partridges into the wild this week. The proposal was announced as part of a long-awaited land use framework, which environment minister Emma Reynolds said mapped out a “coherent national picture” of how England’s land is being used and how this could change to accommodate changing demand.

Campaigners have hit out at the prospect of curbing the 50 million-odd captivity-bred pheasants that are released into the countryside each year for shooting, however, only between 15% and 35% of which are typically shot. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said the move amounted to a “declaration of war on game shooting”.

Mr Bonner told The Times: “There seems to be no awareness that game shooting is a complementary activity to agriculture, not a competitive one.

“The evidence of the additional environmental and economic benefits that derive from game shooting on agricultural land is clear and it is exactly this sort of multiple land use that any sensible strategy should be encouraging.”

He accused the Government of claiming to be committed to growth while “attacking one of the few growth industries in the rural economy which generates billions in income and employs tens of thousands of people”.

“This latest attack on game shooting adds to those the government has already launched on trail hunting and firearms licensing,” he added. “It also completely negates any political benefit that might have come from the rollback on inheritance tax on agricultural property.”

Game shooting has risen in popularity in recent years, with the 50 million pheasants and ten million partridges released into the countryside each year marking a sizeable increase from the four million freed in the 1970s.

A report commissioned by 24 rural organisations and carried out by Cognisense in 2024 found that shooting was worth £3.3 billion to the UK economy each year and counted 620,000 individuals in “shooting-related activity” roles.

Environmentalists have welcomed the prospect of a clamp-down on the “almost wholly unregulated” shooting industry, however.

Campaigner and nature writer Guy Shrubsole said: “This scale of shooting is something that has only happened over the last 40 years. Any idea that this is part of some time-honoured English tradition is absolute rubbish. This is an almost wholly unregulated industry. I am glad to see it being licensed.”

Announcing the land use framework this week, Ms Reynolds said: “Our land is a vital national asset, but it is finite. We cannot be held back by the false choices between building homes and producing food, restoring nature and supporting farmers, or delivering clean energy and protecting landscapes.

“With better data, smarter tools and strategic planning, we can meet all these needs. This ensures people can manage their land in the way that works best for them while unlocking growth, strengthening food security and protecting our environment.”