BASC has contacted every Liverpool City Council member individually to challenge them on the misinformed anti-shooting motion due to be voted on this Wednesday (16th October).
The motion represents an ill-informed and cultural attack on those who shoot in the UK. It is therefore essential that the Liverpool City Council understand the full extent of the issue prior to voting.
Dr. Conor O’Gorman, BASC’s head of campaigns and policy, urged city councillors to reject the motion.
In the letter he said:
“As the largest shooting organisation in the UK with 155,000 members, we are disappointed that the motion – which describes the lawful shooting of game for food in the UK as “barbaric” – fails to understand the importance of wildlife management and game shooting in benefiting both the economy and environment of the UK.
“In passing this motion Liverpool City Council would declare itself opposed to the shooting of woodpigeon to protect crops, the management of deer species to protect woodlands and the shooting of game for the table.
“The proposed motion is an attack on those who engage in sustainable, lawful shooting activities producing game meat, demand for which has risen exponentially in recent years.
“Some 1.6 million people of all ages and backgrounds shoot, putting £2 billion into the UK economy, including £160 million into North West economy.
“Shooting supports the equivalent of 74,000 jobs, with those who shoot spending 3.9 million work days on conservation, the equivalent of 16,000 fulltime conservation jobs.”
Dr. Conor O’Gorman, said: “Whilst we are not expecting every councillor to be an expert on shooting and conservation, they should not be making decisions without the appropriate knowledge. BASC has now provided all the councillors with the expertise and opportunity to engage prior to the vote, we urge them to take us up on the offer.”