Shooting UK

Breeding upland birds have fallen 19% across the UK and 15% in England since 1994, according to the latest accredited official statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), published on 13 October. The Moorland Association says the figures vindicate the work of gamekeepers, because the publication itself names reductions in site-base...

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has warned that the UK remains poorly prepared for severe wildfires, and has called on the Government to review the rules governing controlled burning before the next fire season. The committee’s report, published on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, follows two consecutive record-breaking fire years and more than 1,...

Nesting hen harriers increased in England again in 2026, with 45 breeding attempts recorded and 112 chicks fledged, according to data collected by Natural England, the RSPB and partners. The figures, published on 14 October, compare with 39 attempts and 106 fledged chicks in 2025.

Of the 45 breeding attempts, 33 were successful, ...

Fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to 1,350 wildfires in 2026, more than 300 up on last year’s previous record, according to National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) figures reported by BBC File on 4 Investigates. The figures land as moorland managers renew their case that reducing the fuel load on the hills – work gamekeepers do months before the fir...

BASC has told the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (AERA) Committee that the Hunting with Dogs Bill is unworkable because of what it would mean for firearm certificate holders, dog owners and landowners. The warning came as the association’s Northern Ireland director Tommy Mayne, head of law Dr Alex Murray and head of game and wi...