Which Question Fits My Evidence? A Route Finder for Defra's Call for Evidence

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Which Question Fits My Evidence A Route Finder for Defra's Call for Evidence

Defra's Call for Evidence has more than 30 questions, but most people only need to answer a few. Use this page to find the questions that match what you know or hold, and skip the rest.

The Call for Evidence closes at midnight on Sunday 1 November 2026.

Step 1: Everyone Answers Questions 1 to 6

These questions ask for your name, contact details, the capacity you are responding in, your location, and whether you want your response kept confidential. They are required. Defra says it will not consider responses that leave them out.

At Question 7, most people should choose "Answer questions on gamebird release and shooting".

Step 2: Find Your Evidence

What you know or hold	Question	What makes it useful	Take care
Taking part in shoot days as a beater, flanker, picker-up, dog handler or Gun	Q29	Your role, where, how many years, roughly how many days a season, what it involves	Describe your own experience. Avoid general claims about communities or health
Species counts, breeding pairs or productivity records	Q8, Q9	Dated counts, the method used, years covered, management over the same period	A change at the same time as management is not proof the management caused it
Habitat, vegetation or peatland restoration work	Q8 (Q12–14 if on a protected site)	Area, dates, the specific work done, any monitoring afterwards	Name the particular practice rather than "moor management" in general
SSSIs and other protected sites	Q12–15	Site and feature, Natural England condition assessments, consents, monitoring	A condition label on its own does not show what caused the condition
How codes, consents or licences work in practice	Q10, Q11 (Q13, Q15 on protected sites)	The requirement, what you did, dates, what followed	Listing codes you follow is not enough. Give a real example, not a general complaint
Grouse bags, counts and shoot days	Q25	Several seasons, including poor and zero years. Say whether figures are birds or brace	Say if a figure is estimated and how you worked it out
Where shot grouse went	Q25 (numbers), Q26 (use as food), Q27 (waste or disposal)	Dealer records and a breakdown by route	Excluding a bird unfit to eat is not the same as waste
Medicated grit	Q28(b)	Prescriptions, worm counts, dates grit was put out and withdrawn, tray locations	Defra asks about misuse, not use
Wildfire prevention or response	Q28(e)	Date, place, people, hours, equipment, access, fuel conditions, whether firebreaks held or failed	Report what happened. Don't say something "prevented" a fire unless the evidence shows it
A confirmed disease incident	Q16	APHA, veterinary or laboratory results	A dead or sick bird is not, by itself, evidence of disease or transmission
Bird of prey crime	Q20, Q21	Confirmed incidents or investigation records only	No rumour. No nest locations or details of live investigations
Lead shot, pesticides or antimicrobial resistance	Q28(a), (c), (d)	Specific records or specialist evidence	Leave these out unless you hold something concrete
Noise, smoke, access problems or conflict with other users	Q29 or the most relevant question	What happened, when and how often	Negative evidence is welcome too

Step 3: Apply the Practical Test

Before answering any question, ask yourself: do I know something directly, or do I only have an opinion about it?

If you have first-hand experience, dated records, figures, photographs or correspondence, it is worth submitting. If all you can add is a general view or something you heard second-hand, leave that question out. You can also write "No evidence to add".

Worth Knowing

Economic evidence goes elsewhere. Defra is commissioning a separate assessment of the economic value of the gamebird sector. Keep figures on jobs, wages and spending out of your response.
Red grouse are wild birds. Questions 17–19 and 22–24, and the rearing-welfare questions from Q30 onwards, mainly concern released gamebirds. Answer them only if you hold relevant evidence.
Use your own words. Defra is looking for your evidence, described in your own way.