The outbreak of avian influenza across north-west Europe over the past year has severely impacted the breeding and movement of partridge and pheasant chicks. Many game shoots, be they the local farm groups or the large commercial estates, have had to reconsider their activities for this season. A significant number of shoots have decided not to operate at all this season or have markedly cut back their number of days.
Where the rearing of chicks and their release into the countryside is fully integrated, the shoot arrangements have been less impacted. Where I live in northern England, and where I have mainly shot or loaded over the years, there are shoots that fall into all of the aforementioned.
