The enormous contribution of shooting revealed

Shooting is a key element of the rural economy. It goes hand-in-hand with the conservation of the countryside, brings both mental and physical health benefits to participants, and provides a healthy and sustainable food source. A new report, ‘The Value of Shooting’, published today, highlights the considerable economic and societal benefits of shooting; its enormous benefit to the environment, rural land management and conservation; the benefits to the wellbeing and health of participants; and the provision and promotion of game as food. 

The report, which is a follow-up to a 2014 survey also titled ‘The Value of Shooting’ which was undertaken by PACEC, was commissioned by 24 organisations associated with shooting, including the Countryside Alliance. It was carried out by Cognisense, an independent market research and data analytics company, which took a more comprehensive and detailed approach than that previously taken, and the headline figures are significant:

• Shooting is worth £3.3 billion (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy each year, an increase of £1.3 billion since 2014, and generates the equivalent of 67,000 full-time jobs.
• Those that shoot spend £4.4 billion on their UK-based supply chain each year. 
• Habitat management and conservation are carried out on 7.6 million hectares as a result of shooting, an area that is almost one third of the UK’s land mass. Within this area, shooting providers and volunteers carry out conservation work to the value of £500 million and the equivalent of 26,000 full-time jobs. The beneficial impact on the countryside is considerable.
• Some 620,000 individuals are actively involved in shooting-related activities.
• More than 550,000 people took part in shooting activities in 2022.
• Three out of four people who take part in shooting said that it was important to them and their personal wellbeing, with the majority claiming that shooting contributes positively to their physical and mental health.
  
  

The forthcoming general election on 4 July could see a change of government, and if that proves to be the case then we are likely to see the most radical period of political change in a generation. The path to No. 10 runs through the countryside, and issues affecting both it and the rural economy will be of particular importance. The key findings of this new report, and the role they have in shaping the debate around shooting in the run up to the election and beyond, are therefore of particular importance. The full report can be read here.