Countryside Alliance launches "Shooting in Wales- For Countryside and Community"

The Countryside Alliance has moved to ensure that new Welsh Assembly Members are equipped with the facts about shooting in Wales, launching a brochure detailing the enormous contribution that shooting makes to rural economies, communities and habitats in rural Wales.



At a time when those organisations against shooting are bombarding our politicians with misinformation, the Countryside Alliance believes it is vital to put the facts into the hands of Assembly Members and other decision makers. To this end, the Alliance has produced a brochure detailing the ways in which shooting benefits the Welsh countryside. "Shooting in Wales- For Countryside and Community" was launched at the Welsh Assembly by Rachel Evans, Wales Director of the Countryside Alliance, in front of an audience of Assembly Members, countryside advocacy groups and the general public.



The brochure not only lays out the facts about shooting, such as how every year shooting in Wales invests £7.4 million into conservation and £75 million into the rural economy, but brings these facts to life by illustrating the human face of the shooting community. Shooting in Wales tells the stories of a local Welsh pub, with game on the menu, that couldn't exist without shooting, and of gamekeepers who have been conserving wildlife and providing shooting in Wales for over 48 years. These are the real life stories of the Welsh countryside that Assembly Members need to hear before they are exposed to the propaganda of the animal rights organisations.



Helping launch the brochure, Welsh rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards wrote in the foreword: "I truly believe that shooting in rural Wales is bound up with our nation's sporting culture and traditions. I ask you please – whether a politician, journalist or member of the public – to take just five minutes to read what's inside, with a genuinely open mind"



Countryside Alliance Wales Director Rachel Evans said: "Shooting in Wales- For Countryside and Community has been welcomed by many Assembly Members and opens the door to further discussions. We feel this brochure establishes the Alliance as the authoritative voice that Assembly Members can turn to whenever issues concerning wildlife management or shooting arise in Wales."



The online version of Shooting in Wales- For Countryside and Community can be found here in English and here in Welsh.