The Government has rejected a stakeholder group’s recommendation that lead ammunition should be phased out on account of its risk to wildlife and human health.
A key aspect for WWT is that wildfowl often ingest poisonous lead pellets, left on the ground or in water after shooting. WWT research showed that more than a third of migratory swans tested have elevated levels of lead in their blood due to ingesting lead shot, and it’s responsible for a quarter of migratory swans’ deaths.
The stakeholder group’s recommendation followed five years of assessing the available scientific evidence, which resulted in a 412 page report citing more than 500 scientific papers.
The Government did not dispute the scientific evidence but rejected the recommendation on two grounds:
The Government has waited a year to publish its response, which was placed in the correspondence section of Defra’s website on the afternoon a new Prime Minister was appointed.
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Chief Executive Martin Spray CBE said:
“I’m pleased the Government has not disputed any of the evidence submitted in the report, even though I’m disappointed with their reasons for the judgement they reached on it.
“It’s regrettable that the Government feels the drawn-out illness and deaths of hundreds of thousands of individual animals through lead poisoning is acceptable. Especially when it is entirely avoidable because alternatives to lead ammunition already exist which shooting experts say are just as capable.
“I believe poor animal welfare on this scale shouldn’t be ignored simply because it’s currently unclear whether species population sizes are affected as well. The irony is that the Government can’t substantiate the opposite - that lead poisoning doesn’t affect species population sizes – because lead ammunition has been around for longer than data has been collected. My concern is that in the meantime the evidence proves copious numbers of animals will needlessly suffer awful symptoms and many will die.
“I note that since the report was submitted over a year ago, evidence is emerging which leans towards population effects, which could affect the Government’s new position.”
“I welcome the Government’s announcement that it will look at better implementing lead shot regulations due to poor compliance. I will be asking the Environment Secretary for a timescale and terms of reference for that review to be published.”
“I would like to thank all the stakeholders who contributed a range of evidence and views to the report over five years. We jointly agreed with all parties early on to support the group’s majority consensus view and, throughout, we have respected the process. Regardless of the range of viewpoints, the result of the group’s work is an impressive body of evidence. As always, I look forward to working constructively with all organisations on the way forward.”
Key numbers from WWT’s research into lead poisoning in birds, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, include: