Lead-Free Game: Embracing Change for a Sustainable Future

Not Good News

I have heard from several game dealers recently that some shoots are returning to lead on shoot days which is most alarming and retroactive. They don’t feel there is any benefit to them as a shoot but surely having all your game collected and knowing it is entering the food chain is the largest benefit of them all?

When we are speaking to retail outlets we never bring up lead shot, we presume they are happy with it unless stated otherwise. Unfortunately, there has been a steep rise in these conversations and so we are discussing the options of lead-free shot more and more. I say unfortunately because there still is not enough supply of lead-free game to fulfill our current supermarkets as well as any new markets. We need more people to go lead free and if your shoot has we need you to tell us.

Where Can You Learn More?

BASC has done a huge amount of work showcasing lead-free alternatives. Recently we heard from two large, high bird shoots that have gone lead-free, and their guns have got used to it after some initial grumbles. It is very easy to transition and all the shooting organisations are there to assist you with any questions.

Will You Get More Money For Lead Free Birds?

I was recently asked if a supplier would be willing to pay more for lead free birds, honestly I don’t think so as it is expected that the food we are supplying will not have any toxic chemicals in it. At Eat Wild we do not get involved in pricing, we leave this to the new supplier we have found and the game dealer they have chosen. If the game dealer is able to charge the end user a few extra pennies because it is lead-free then good luck to them. However we don’t want to be pricing feathered game out of the market so we need to decide what is more important, opening up new markets and providing a meat that can compete on cost alongside traditional meats or giving the shoots 10p a bird. I think it would be better if we could open up as many new markets as possible, demand will soar and so inevitably the cost of the product will increase and then shoots will see people fighting over wanting to collect their birds.

From a food point of view we need to make sure that all lead-free game is going to the right place, so I would ask you if your shoot is lead-free to please fill in our lead free register on the Back British Game website.  This means we can contact your game dealer, see if they already have a market for this game, if not, then we help direct it to an outlet that requires it.

Supermarket View

I recently met with John Gregson from Waitrose and he explained that it is not just the lead contamination of the meat but the effect the lead shot has on the environment. Most people involved with shooting have a deep love for the countryside and want to protect it so it seems mad that they would put so much hard work into conservation to then throw a toxic matter in to the mix. Waitrose cannot get enough supply of lead-free birds that they need, and their sales have dramatically fallen because of this, it will be no skin off their nose if they have to switch to selling farmed guinea fowl, we are fooling ourselves if we think otherwise.

Put Yourself In Someone Else's Shoes

We all think that "I have eaten it my whole life and never had a problem" but there are entire Instagram pages of people testing household objects for lead content, luckily they have not cottoned on to doing it for food yet but it won't be long. The public interest in what is in their food is increasing every day and game offers so many benefits that tick the boxes they want all except lead.

We need to move with the times and give shooting the best opportunity it has, if that means that I have to pay a bit more for my cartridges I am willing to give it a try, are you?