BASC will highlight the benefits of game meat as a sustainable, healthy food source as part of an independent ‘field to fork’ review that will help inform the government’s new food strategy.
The review has been launched by environment secretary Michael Gove to examine the entire food chain and will be led by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon restaurants, the lead non-executive director at Defra and co-author of The School Food Plan.
He will investigate the entire food system and consider what changes are needed to ensure it delivers safe, healthy, affordable food, regardless of where people live or how much they earn; restores and enhances the natural environment for the next generation and is a thriving contributor to urban and rural economies, delivering well paid jobs and supporting innovative producers and manufacturers.
His recommendations will result in the National Food Strategy, set to be published next year.
Dr Conor O’Gorman, BASC’s head of policy and campaigns, said: “The shooting community is rightly proud of the fact it is involved in providing a healthy, sustainable, locally-sourced food.
“The government talks about ‘field to fork’ and no food could be closer to that than game meat.
“BASC will be telling the review that British wild game meat satisfies many of its key criteria and that game meat should be integral to the government’s new food strategy.
“A huge amount of conservation work and management is undertaken to ensure a healthy and sustainable game meat supply and this ticks all the boxes for the national food strategy.”
In launching the review, Mr Gove said: “The time is right for us to look afresh at our food system to ensure everyone has access to high-quality British food and our environment is protected for future generations.”