James Aris: Has the RSPB lost the plot?

Today the RSPB has called for a complete 'moratorium' on gamebird releasing in the UK.

To justify their call, they have said it should be considered 'in [the] case' that the H5N1 strain of Avian Flu spreads, citing no credible evidence whatsoever to support their call.

Quite rightly, senior government wildlife experts responded to the call stating "There is (already) a ban on releasing gamebirds in all control zones, and businesses that wish to release them outside of zones are required to maintain stringent biosecurity standards and report any signs of avian influenza to minimise the spread of disease."

In a further blistering put down, they also told the Guardian newspaper- who carried the story- that they remained sceptical about the RSPB's case, arguing that so far there is too little evidence to substantiate its demands.

Sadly, the fact that the RSPB are calling for this should come as no surprise. It has become increasingly clear that they are in fact an ideologically driven anti-shooting organisation, fixated on the destruction of a sector that contributes so much to our struggling rural economy.

There is no research that justifies this call, however the benefits that shooting brings to conservation, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods is well documented. Avian Flu is just the latest tool to push their wider agenda.

In a half-hearted attempt to justify their call today, they have cited irrelevant historical figures from 2018, and are seemingly unaware that the import of red-legged partridge and pheasant eggs, and chicks, from France has already been prevented due to outbreaks in the Vendee and Pays de la Loire regions.

The Countryside Alliance will continue to stand up to baseless political attacks on our shooting community.

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