Pheasant outbreaks across the UK are closing or drastically reduced this year due to bird import bans following an outbreak of bird flu.
A large number of birds of prey shot in the country are imported from factory farms in Europe. Experts have said that this practice should be stopped or reduced because it runs the risk of spreading diseases and has worrying implications for indigenous nature and biodiversity.
Just under 50 million pheasants are usually released each year from mainland farms. A recent study suggested that at its peak in August each year, non-native common pheasants and red-legged partridges account for about half of all wild bird biomass in Britain. The annual shooting season begins on October 1st.
Jeff Knott, director of the RSPB’s Central and Eastern England, said: “The most important thing from our perspective is that the bird flu situation underscores the risks of importing and releasing millions of birds into the field. “It’s a very, very unregulated industry and it’s something that needs to be looked at very well.”
He called for more regulation for outbreaks. “There are inherent risks in bringing so many birds and releasing them into the field. We need to look at greater regulation of the industry to make sure we don’t endanger native wildlife. Farms should not report how many they are carrying, releasing , how many are being shot “.
Mark Avery, who co-leads the Wild Justice nature campaign group, said: “This is a wake-up call for filming. Importing tens of millions of non-native pheasants is almost neither traditional nor sustainable. environment will benefit: all these game birds harm our native species. Pheasants swallow snakes and lizards and damage vegetation. Fewer game birds is a respite for native wildlife. “
Shooting farms are implementing measures, such as raising more game birds on site to make the sector more resilient to import bans.
Glynn Evans, head of hunting and hunting dogs of the British Shooting and Conservation Association (BASC), said: “For a variety of reasons, such as the climate, some parts of France are ideal places for hunting and However, an outbreak of avian influenza in the main hunting regions at a critical time in this production has led to restrictions on movement. UK this year will be nothing short of significant.
“This level of disruption will vary between different outbreaks. For example, those that hatch and raise their own birds at home will not be greatly affected, while others may be proceeding with reduced plans, and we have heard of outbreaks that they make the difficult decision not to continue this year. “
He said the reduction in shooting would affect the rural economy, including hotels, pubs and restaurants near the shooting areas.
“This is not the first challenge we have faced and it will not be the last. With bird flu becoming more common, outbreaks will look at their supply chains and how to secure them for the future, ”Evans added.
This year’s bird flu outbreak has been the longest and largest ever experienced in the UK and many parts of Europe. The disease is not only infecting farm birds, but is also ravaging vulnerable populations of endangered birds, alarming conservationists.
The disease, highly contagious in birds, began on commercial goose farms in Asia in 1996, spreading to poultry farms and then to wild birds.