Defra’s Call for Evidence on gamebird releases; what exactly is it asking for?

Earlier this month the UK Government opened a new Call for Evidence (CfE) on the subject of gamebirds. It closes on November 1^st 2026.

The evidence collected from this CfE can be used to inform future decisions by the Government when it comes to its policies on gamebirds. It is possible this call will lead to a public consultation, which could see significant (and in our opinion, long overdue) changes to the way this industry is allowed to operate.

It’s likely this will be a lengthy process, but this is an important moment in the fight to shed light on the impacts of the barely-regulated world of gamebird shooting.

This blog explains what the Government is asking for in the CfE, who can respond to it, what sort of evidence might work, why it’s important to respond, and how to submit a response.

What is the Call for Evidence?

A ‘Call for Evidence’ is just that; the government is asking for all existing evidence, data and information on the impacts of the gamebird shooting industry. This includes the releasing of tens of millions of gamebirds (Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges, and to a lesser extent, Mallards) into the countryside each year, as well the as intensive management of Red Grouse for driven grouse shooting.

The CfE is not a public consultation. It has come following the publication of the Government’s Land Use Framework in March 2026, which states that the Government will… …

“Explore wider measures such as licensing and any associated conditions for recreational gamebird shooting and release, going beyond current approaches which only apply on or near European protected sites. This will begin with evidence gathering and any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation.”

So, depending upon the content and volume of evidence gathered in the CfE, the Government may propose some policy changes on gamebird rearing, releasing and shooting,, which would then be subject to a public consultation at some future time, hopefully next year

 Defra’s website explains that it is seeking evidence on a wide range of subjects that fall under gamebird rearing, releasing and shooting. It asks for evidence of both the positive (we’d say there are few) and the negative (we’d say there are many) impacts of this industry.

This includes:

• Environmental impacts (such as impacts on other wildlife and protected habitats),
• Animal welfare (including how gamebirds are treated during the rearing and transportation process),
• Disease and biosecurity (including Bird Flu),
• Wildlife crime (including illegal persecution of birds of prey),
• Other impacts (including impacts on communities living close to shoots).

The releasing of tens of millions of non-native Pheasants and Partridges, and the management of large areas of the uplands for Red Grouse shooting, comes with a varied array of impacts – wider than the list above. We’d urge you to think carefully about what sort of impacts you may have experienced or witnessed, and how you can provide evidence for these.

Who can respond to the Call for Evidence?

The CfE officially invites “all those with relevant evidence and expertise to respond”.

This includes those directly involved in the rearing, release and shooting of gamebirds, such as gamekeepers, shoot operators and land managers. It also includes organisations with expertise in environmental, wildlife and animal welfare subjects. But there is scope for others to contribute too.

The government’s web page for the CfE states:

‘This call for evidence is open to anyone. We particularly welcome responses from:

• Gamebird producers, shoot operators, and land managers 
• Environmental, conservation and animal welfare organisations 
• Local communities and land users 
• Academics and researchers 
• Public bodies and delivery partners 
• Veterinary and animal health experts’ 

It is likely that if you live in, or near to the countryside, or are a regular visitor, that you will fall under the third category: local communities and land users. If you are not involved in gamebird releasing and shooting, or you don’t work in the conservation sector, this user category provides an opportunity to share your experiences and evidence with the Government.

What sort of evidence might be useful?

The Government states that the CfE will accept a range of evidence types, though it will give ‘greater weight’ to evidence which:

“…demonstrates a transparent and verifiable evidence trail, provides relevant context for the evidence submitted, and includes clear rationales for any conclusions or observations, with links to the evidence provided where possible.”

These types of evidence include:

• Peer‑reviewed research,
• Grey literature (e.g. research reports, working papers, NGO reports),
• Official statistics,
• Evaluation studies,
• Monitoring data, and
• Well-documented operational or experiential evidence.

It’s expected that the UK’s nature and conservation organisations (including us) will respond to the CfE with a detailed evidence base, including peer-reviewed research and monitoring data.

Aside from this, there’s another type of evidence; the first-hand experience – ‘experiential evidence’ – of people like you. We already know shooting industry organisations have been encouraging their members to respond to the CfE, telling them that their ‘experience is evidence’.

Well, we think that also applies to the millions of ordinary people, who don’t take part in shooting birds for fun, but who do live in, work in, and visit the countryside where these industries operate. So, what sort of experiences might you be able to share?

Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself, to assess if you’ve any experiences, evidence or information that could contribute to the CfE:

• When walking through the countryside, have you ever had your access restricted because of shooting, or land management associated with shooting?
• Have you ever suffered damage to your vehicle from a collision, or the avoiding of a collision, with a gamebird?
• Have you had the air quality close to your home impacted by vegetation burning as a result of land-management practices associated with gamebird shooting?
• Have you been disturbed by noise pollution from shooting?
• Have you had Pheasants or Red-l egged Partridges enter your gardens? And if so, have they caused any damage or loss to your plant life, home-grown food, or bird food?
• Have you experienced harassment, aggression or intimidation by gamekeepers or shoot owners?
• Have you ever come across dumped gamebirds in the countryside, in piles or bags?
• Have you ever come across traps set for the killing of other wildlife, in relation to shooting interests? For example, pole traps, snares and Larsen traps?
• Have you ever found injured wildlife (both target and non-target species) in distress inside a trap or snare?
• Have you ever found decoy birds in distress inside live traps such as Crow cage traps and Larsen traps?
• Have you ever come across a ‘stink pit’ of dead animals?
• Have you ever found a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances?
• Has your pet dog or cat been poisoned in close proximity to a shoot? Or have your pets gone missing in suspicious circumstances?

These are just a few things you might like to think about when it comes to your own experiences of witnessing, observing and interacting with various aspects of gamebird shooting. This CfE is not the place for sharing personal beliefs or feelings on shooting in general, but rather any direct experiences or evidence you may have.

You may be able to evidence your experiences with further information or media; photographs, videos, recorded dates and times, maps and grid references can all be valuable forms of evidence. Please note: the only way to submit these is via email submissions (see ‘How to respond to the Call for Evidence’ below).

What does Wild Justice think?

Wild Justice has been critical of both gamebird releasing (concerning Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges) and the driven grouse shooting industry since we formed seven years ago.

We think it’s a good thing that the Government has opened the door on this subject – a door that many campaigning organisations and individuals have been hammering on for years. This Call for Evidence could lead to a public consultation on proposed measures to regulate the gamebird shooting industry; a process f of scrutiny and accountability for an industry that has largely escaped it, until now.

We will be submitting our own organisational response, before the CfE closes on November 1^st. But don’t wait for us to publish that before you take part. Our response will be largely based on academic, peer-reviewed research; what we need you to do is submit information about your personal experiences. If you’d like to share your submissions with us, we’d be very happy to receive a copy.

Why is it important to respond?

It’s been long suspected, and evidenced, that there is a plethora of environmental and ecological impacts associated with all gamebird shooting. This industry describes itself as ‘traditional’, whereas the reality is that these intensive practices are less than 200 years old, and are a far cry from a balanced and respect-filled relationship with the natural environment.

In the uplands, we’ve witnessed widespread habitat destruction due to intensive land management for driven grouse shooting. Moorlands have been burned and drained, precious bog habitats have been lost and significant peat-based carbon stores have been damaged.

In the lowlands, we’ve seen the numbers of released gamebirds accelerate to eye-watering numbers, with the biomass of Pheasants and Red-l egged Partridges released each year now outweighing the biomass of native breeding birds in spring. These tens of millions of birds – released with very little regulation and monitoring and welfare control – increase the risk of diseases spreading, leave tonnes of meat in the environment (propping up generalist scavengers), impact vulnerable wildlife (including invertebrates, plants, reptiles and amphibians), and often wander into oncoming traffic, posing a safety risk to drivers.

Across both industries, the widespread practice of so-called ‘vermin’ killing has created a culture in which lots of native wildlife is needlessly killed, including the illegal persecution of birds of prey. The conviction rates for these crimes is depressingly low.

The shooting industry has largely evaded accountability for the harms it is responsible for. Now we have a rare opportunity to formally put on record issues that the industry would prefer remained hidden, and demonstrate to the Government that these issues are widespread and of deep concern to the general public.

How to respond to the Call for Evidence:

You can respond to the CFE on Defra’s website, by clicking the button below.

If you do respond via the online form, you might want to pay particular close attention to Questions 28 and 29 of Section A: ‘Call for Evidence Questions – Other impacts’ – particularly Question 28e.

The website also states that if you’re unable to use the form, you may submit your response by email to Gamebirds@defra.gov.uk. They ask that you include “Call for Evidence” in the subject line.