MA Joins Call for Improvements to Defra’s Gamebird Call for Evidence
Quick summary
The Moorland Association and other rural groups have written to Defra about its gamebird Call for Evidence.
The letter asks Defra to extend the deadline to 30 April 2027, or failing that, 28 February 2027.
It also asks for clearer questions and an explanation of how practical evidence and records will be assessed.
Members should still submit evidence directly to Defra now, without waiting for the outcome of the letter.
The Moorland Association has joined other rural organisations in writing to Defra to ask for improvements to the Government’s Call for Evidence on gamebird rearing, release and shooting.
The joint letter asks Defra to extend the deadline, clarify parts of the questionnaire and explain more clearly how practical evidence and operational records will be assessed alongside published research.
The MA has been engaging directly with Defra on the Call for Evidence and remains committed to contributing fully to the process.
Our concern is straightforward: if Defra wants the best available evidence, those responsible for managing gamebirds, habitats and wildlife on the ground must have a realistic opportunity to provide it.
The current submission period falls during one of the busiest times of the year for gamekeepers, estate staff and shoot managers. The questionnaire also asks respondents to move between scientific research, operational records and personal experience without always making clear which type of evidence is being sought.
The joint letter therefore asks Defra to consider extending the deadline to 30 April 2027. If that is not possible, it asks for an extension to 28 February 2027, with supplementary 2026/27 evidence accepted until 30 April.
It also asks Defra to:
revise ambiguous or leading questions and provide clearer guidance;
explain how practical experience and operational records will be assessed;
provide a clearer route for direct submissions from practitioners, land managers and rural businesses.
Members should continue to engage
Members should not wait for the outcome of the joint letter before engaging with the Call for Evidence. We continue to encourage members, estates, gamekeepers and land managers to submit relevant evidence directly to Defra where they are able to do so.
In particular, long-term bird monitoring, breeding data, habitat records, predator-management records, economic information, welfare evidence and practical experience of gamebird management may all be relevant.
The most useful evidence is evidence that can be clearly explained, dated, sourced and, where possible, supported by records or monitoring.
The MA is also continuing to assemble evidence for its own submission and will keep members updated as the process develops.
Why this is important
The Government has made clear that it is considering the future regulation of gamebird shooting and release. It is therefore important that the evidence base on which any future policy is built is as complete and balanced as possible.
The MA’s position remains that future policy should be based on properly tested evidence and on measurable outcomes for conservation, wildfire resilience, climate, rural communities and responsible land management.
This is therefore an important opportunity to ensure that decisions are informed by what happens on the ground, rather than by an incomplete or one-sided evidence base.
That is why we are asking Defra to make sure the Call for Evidence is designed to capture the experience and evidence of those actually managing the countryside.
Members who are unsure whether material they hold may be relevant are encouraged to contact the MA at info@moorlandassociation.org.
