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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the joint statement by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and other rural organisations requesting a five year transition away from the use of lead ammunition in game shooting; what assessment he has made of the potential merits of such a transition period; and if he will make a statement.

We welcome the joint statement made in 2020 by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and other rural organisations requesting a transition away from lead and confirming their commitment to ensuring a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between shooting and conservation.

In Spring 2021, Defra asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) to prepare a UK REACH restriction dossier for lead in ammunition. In producing the dossier, both organisations considered the evidence of risk posed by lead in ammunition on human health and the environment, and therefore, the case for phasing out most uses of lead in ammunition, including potential derogations for use in strictly controlled environments such as target shooting, where control measures are in place. HSE published the dossier on 6 May 2022 and a consultation is currently open until 6 November 2022.

Following this, HSE will finalise its opinion and the final decision for any restriction will be made by the Secretary of State, with the consent of Welsh and Scottish Ministers. It is expected that the full process will take approximately two years (from Spring 2021).