Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the environmental and animal welfare impacts of the breeding, release and shooting of game birds, and whether she plans to introduce a ban on these practices.

This Government has no plans to ban the breeding, release or shooting of gamebirds. However, gamebird shooting can have trade-offs with environmental, economic, and animal health and welfare outcomes and we want to ensure the highest standards of practice are consistently applied. To achieve this, Defra will work with stakeholders to explore wider measures, and this will begin with evidence gathering. Any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation.