Aim to Sustain Game Assurance announces new pricing structure

Aim to Sustain has announced a new pricing structure for its Game Assurance scheme, which focuses on affordability and adds provision for group membership.

Along with revealing membership rates for game farms, the rates for upland and lowland shoots have been revised in order to refocus attention on the urgency of self-regulation within the shooting sector ahead of the general election and the potential for a change in government in Westminster, which could result in the most radical period of political change in a generation.

It is hoped that the new group membership options, which allow groups of shoots, grouse moors or game farms to join the assurance scheme at a discounted rate, will encourage even more of the larger shooting operations to sign up to Aim to Sustain Game Assurance. In joining, shoots are able to demonstrate that they operate to the highest standards of game management and handling, through the process of independent audit, carried out by Intertek SAI Global, who also audit for the Red Tractor assurance scheme.

In this political climate, the shooting sector needs to show those in power that through responsible and independently audited self-regulation, any new government-imposed regulation is unnecessary. We also need to cover the future possibility of regulation being passed, where if best-practice standards are already in place, they can guide regulators to a more workable system. 

The Aim to Sustain Game Assurance scheme has separate standards for lowland shoots, upland shoots, with those for game farms shortly to be published. These standards encompass more than just the animal health and welfare aspects that other assurance schemes cover, and are based on legislation, science and best-practice guidelines. These varied, comprehensive, auditable standards are focussed on assessment of:

• Animal health and welfare
• Food quality
• Environmental enhancement and protection
• Staff training
• Health and Safety

The independent auditors, although highly experienced in the game management and shooting sector, are responsible for auditing only, not advice. When a scheme member does need advice, they can rely on the wealth of knowledge held by all eight partner organisations of Aim to Sustain, and their scientific advisor, the GWCT.

For more information about the scheme’s standards, how to become a member, the pricing structure and much more, please visit the Aim to Sustain Game Assurance scheme website here.