Andy Burnham has urged shops to stop selling disposable barbecues amid the increase of wildfire risk. Meanwhile, Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs uncover horrific scenes of burnt gamebirds on bonfires at the Stockton Shoot. Why isn’t anyone talking about this?
Our sabs investigated this in July, when they were alerted to illegal practises at the Stockton Shoot in Wiltshire, discovering and capturing on film an industrial sized operation of charred gamebirds. The video and more information can be found here, but be warned, the scenes are disturbing.
If proponents justify pheasant shooting for the provision of game meat, the scale of the birds which have fallen short of the dinner plate is enormous. Wiltshire Hunt Sabs said “many thousands of pheasants and partridges are held within their rearing pens.This bonfire had clearly been used for some time, possibly thousands of birds ended up here.”
Advocates also commonly cite the maintenance of hedgerows, the planting of new woods, and habitat management to benefit other wildlife. The Sabs said, “Historic Google Earth imagery indicates that these pens have been used for many years and have expanded significantly over time, with little evidence that the release areas have been moved to allow environmental recovery.”
They explain, “the environmental impacts of intensive pheasant releases are well documented. High densities of released gamebirds can alter woodland ecosystems, damage sensitive ground flora, enrich soils with excessive nutrients and cause long-term degradation around release pens.”
If the shoot and 500 metres of rearing pens bordering Stockton Wood and Down, a Site of Special Scientific Interest isn’t enough for you to digest, the Sab’s original report also showed the Stockton Shoot’s LPG gas store, dangerously situated one hedge behind the bonfire area!
I was thinking of a fun comment to lighten the mood, but there isn’t one. Let’s be clear on the law; the burial or burning of fallen birds on farms is forbidden. Fallen birds that have died other than by slaughter are classified as Category 2 animal by-products. They must be collected without undue delay, stored securely in sealed, leak-proof containers, and kept away from other animals before collection. Disposal must take place through licensed routes, such as approved rendering plants, incinerators, maggot farms or collection schemes operated through the National Fallen Stock Company.
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