Defra Gamebird Call for Evidence: Guides, Draft Response and How to Submit Your Evidence
Updated: 4 hours ago
The Call for Evidence closes at midnight on Sunday 1 November 2026. Responses received after that will not be analysed.
Everything the Moorland Association has published on the Call for Evidence is on this page.
What Is Happening?
Defra is running a Call for Evidence on gamebird release, shooting and welfare during rearing in England. It opened on 4 September 2026.
Defra says no decisions have been taken on future policy. Its aim is to improve the evidence base and to identify where evidence is incomplete, uncertain or contested. Any future policy changes would be subject to consultation.
Defra welcomes published research. It also welcomes monitoring data and well-documented operational or experiential evidence. It says it will give greater weight to evidence where:
the evidence trail is transparent and verifiable
the context is explained
the method and limitations are clear
You do not need to answer every question, and you do not need to write an academic paper. A short response to one or two questions can still be useful.
Key Dates
Wednesday 30 September, 6pm: members' Zoom session on submitting estate evidence
Friday 16 October: deadline for member comments on the MA's draft response - comments to agilruth@moorlandassociation.org
Sunday 1 November, midnight: Call for Evidence closes
Which Question Fits My Evidence?
Defra's Call for Evidence has more than 30 questions, but most people only need to answer a few.
Our route finder matches the evidence you hold to the right question. It also explains what makes each answer useful and what to take care over.
For example:
if you beat, flank, pick up or shoot, Question 29 is likely to be the main one for you
if you hold grouse bag records, see Question 25
if you have helped at a wildfire, see Question 28(e)
Which Guide Should I Use?
If you own or manage a grouse moor: use the Practical Guide for Moorland Association Members. It covers the types of estate records Defra may find useful, such as bird counts, SSSI records, peatland restoration, grouse counts and bags, and wildfire records.
If you shoot, beat, flank, pick up, work dogs, farm, carry out contract work or live in the uplands: read our short guide to answering or use the Practical Guide for People Who Live, Work or Participate in England's Uplands.
You do not need to own or manage a moor to give useful evidence. For most shoot participants, Question 29 is the main question to answer.
If you want to see the evidence the MA is submitting: read our draft response and Annex 1: Evidence Schedule.
How to Respond
Defra's preferred route is its online survey: https://consultations.defra.gov.uk/call-for-evidence-on-gamebird-release-shooting-and-welfare-during-rearing-in-england
If you cannot use the online survey, email your response and any supporting documents to gamebirds@defra.gov.uk. Make sure each part of your response carries the Defra question number it relates to.
Questions 1 to 6 are required. Defra says responses that do not answer all the required questions will not be considered.
Before You Submit
Answer Questions 1 to 6.
Use your own words and describe your own experience or records.
Say what the evidence is, where and when it relates to, and how it was recorded.
Give figures and dates where you have them. If you are estimating, say so.
Be clear about what your evidence cannot show.
Include negative as well as positive evidence where you have it.
Leave out economic evidence. Defra is assessing the economic value of the sector separately.
Do not include precise nest locations, details of live investigations or other people's personal information.
Submit early. The deadline falls at midnight on a Sunday.
For MA Members
Join our Zoom session at 6pm on Wednesday 30 September. We will talk through the questions most relevant to grouse moors and answer practical questions about preparing your evidence. Register here if you wish to attend.
Help us strengthen our response. Please send corrections, comments or additional evidence on the draft to agilruth@moorlandassociation.org by Friday 16 October.
Share the participant guide. Estates can forward the route finder, the short guide and Practical Guide for People Who Live, Work or Participate in England's Uplands to Guns, beaters, flankers, pickers-up, dog handlers, farmers and contractors. Please share the guide rather than suggested wording. Defra is looking for each person's own evidence in their own words.
