Westminster welcome for lead-free pledge

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Shooting and Conservation, which has a membership of 163 parliamentarians, has welcomed today’s statement from leading rural organisations calling for an end to the use of lead in shotgun cartridges used for live quarry within five years.

The group of nine membership organisations has also said it wants the complete eradication of single-use plastics in cartridges within the same timescale.

 Sir Geoffrey said: “This is a significant step and one that should be welcomed by shooters and conservationists alike.

“Technology is catching up with the desire of the wider shooting community to make itself as sustainable and environmentally-friendly as possible. There are now real-world, affordable alternatives to using lead and plastics in cartridges and it is heartening to see these organisations endorsing that change.

“The ammunition manufacturers are doing their part to encourage change and the organisations are also making it clear that they want their membership to get behind this transition to ensure its success.

 “For shooting to continue to thrive at the heart of the British countryside, it must move with the times by embracing change when it is clear such change will benefit wildlife, consumers of game and the wider environment.”