Mass breeding of game birds without welfare checks may be curtailed in England

Campaigners say pheasants and partridges reared ‘on industrial scale’ do not have same protections as chickens

The government is considering a crackdown on pheasant shooting in England as part of a consultation on strict new animal welfare laws that would affect shoot organisers.

Ministers are already considering plans for the issuing of licences for those who run game bird shoots. The proposals mean anybody associated with wildlife crime, such as the poisoning or shooting of birds of prey, would be banned from hosting shooting events.