BASC has condemned Liverpool City Council’s decision to pass an anti-shooting motion as a gross misrepresentation of the shooting community.
Despite an address by BASC to a full public hearing of the council in Liverpool town hall on Wednesday night, there was unanimous support for the cross-party motion which declared all game shooting in the UK as ‘barbaric’.
Ahead of the debate last night, BASC had individually contacted all 90 councillors, written to the city’s five MPs and lobbied councillors on the steps of the town hall.
Garry Doolan, BASC’s deputy director of communications and public affairs, delivered a five-minute address to the hearing and said afterwards: “We made extremely robust points in favour of shooting and the work done in conservation to support shooting, but the mayor of Liverpool and the councillors were not interested in our arguments.
“They have labelled all people who shoot in the UK as barbaric and that simply has to be a gross misrepresentation of our community. The motion was illogical when set against the context of the clear, sound evidence we presented in favour of shooting and its economic and environmental benefits.”
BASC previously described the wording of the motion as “an attack and slur on the British countryside”.
The Council’s motion came on the back of mayor Joe Anderson’s intervention to terminate the contract between the Great British Shooting Show and the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.
Following direct contact with the mayor, BASC were invited to attend and speak at last night’s meeting.
Mr Doolan told the hearing that choosing subjective sensitivities over scientific evidence would be detrimental to the British countryside. Shooting is of significant importance to the rural economy and is hugely beneficial to conservation efforts across the country.
He added: “We are extremely disappointed that this ill-thought-out and dangerous motion was passed without any scrutiny or consultation with people who actually understand shooting and the realities of the British countryside.
“Liverpool City Council has done itself few favours in agreeing this motion. We told the hearing that the motion would damage Liverpool’s reputation as a diverse city that welcomes people with different interests and that future investment could be lost.”