COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE - New research shows 70,000 jobs in shooting

Shooting, especially game shooting, has been one of the major growth industries in the countryside over the last decade. It is no longer exclusively an activity for those of us who live in rural areas and participants come from all areas and backgrounds. From traditional estates employing full time staff, to DIY syndicates run on a few hundred pounds a year, shooting is increasingly inclusive and accessible.

It is also a vital part of the rural economy so to measure the economic and environmental impact� shooting for the first time since 1997 the Alliance, with BASC and the CLA, commissioned a report from independent economic consultants PACEC. Today The Countryside Alliance is publishing the results of that research�and�it makes fascinating reading:

- Shooting supports 70,000 full time equivalent jobs in the UK. This figure includes 16,000 gamekeepers and shoot managers, 5,700 jobs in the food and accommodation sector and 1,700 in training and kennelling dogs. As a comparison this is more people than are employed in the UK steel or pharmaceutical industries and there are now just 227,000 jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing combined.

- Shooting produces a direct financial benefit to the UK – defined as gross value added – of �1.6 billion a year. 480,000 participants spend over �2 billion each year on goods and services (up from �571 million in 1997) much of it in areas where farming has been hardest hit in recent years. For example shooting supports 12,000 jobs in the South West of England alone.

- 99% of the game birds and wildfowl shot were consumed. Shoots supply millions of birds and tens of thousands of deer to local consumers and national outlets that contribute towards a healthy, natural diet. The survey found that 99% of the game birds and wildfowl shot were consumed with only a tiny proportion unfit for consumption.

- Shooting generates 2.7 million work days on conservation per year. Shooting also plays a major role in conserving the countryside. Two thirds of rural land in the UK is shot over and �250 million is spent a year on wildlife and habitats. In addition shooting generates 2.7 million work days on conservation per year which is the equivalent of 12,000 full time jobs.

For more detailed information on this research visit www.countrysidealliance.org