GOVERNMENT STALLS ON LEAD SHOT DECISION AS SHOOTING SECTOR’S VOLUNTARY PLEDGE FAILS
A voluntary pledge made by UK shooting organisations in 2020 to phase out lead shot in favour of non-toxic alternatives by 2025 has failed, according to research funded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The study, also conducted by University of the Highlands and Islands, found that despite industry commitments, the use of lead shot in game shooting remains widespread. The findings were published on 6 March in Conservation Evidence.
In the latest phase of the research, shot was recovered from 171 whole pheasants purchased from butchers, game dealers, and supermarkets. Of these, 99 percent had been killed using lead ammunition. Similar testing of 78 red grouse carcasses from the 2024/25 shooting season found that all had been shot with lead.
The research team, which has monitored the transition annually since the pledge was made, concluded that voluntary efforts had not succeeded in phasing out lead.
The pledge, signed in February 2020 by nine of the UK’s leading shooting and rural organisations, was intended to reduce environmental contamination and ensure game meat remains a sustainable and marketable food product. However, the study suggests that take -up of non-toxic ammunition has been slow, with little sign of voluntary compliance increasing.
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