Thank you all for your help throughout 2022 in raising the profile of the great outcomes achievable from positive game management and the actions which have come from this research and actions developed by the Trust over the last 91 years.
Political and policy issues keep mounting, with the proposed ban of snares which includes Humane Cable Restraints through the Agriculture Bill which Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd for the Senedd announced on 26 September. Included in Welsh Government’s press release the headline was that “The Bill includes the Programme for Government commitment for a complete ban on the use of snares and glue traps. Wales will be the first country in the UK to introduce a complete ban.”
We have presented written evidence to the Economy Trade and Rural Affairs committee for Stage 1 scrutiny of the general principles of the Agriculture (Wales) Bill and are particularly concerned about the loss of HCR’s for their use in the conservation of species such as curlew. These highly engineered and GWCT designed devices are for holding the fox only and without them we would not have been able to undertake our pioneering fox monitoring project which is providing valuable insight into their paths of travel, habitat use and territories.
We have responded to a call for evidence to inform the development of NRW’s approach to regulating the release of gamebirds (common pheasant and red-legged partridge) in Wales. Unlike England where they considered regulation over protected sites, in Wales they are looking at the potential need for regulation across the whole country.
The initial Ministerial request to consider the options for regulation in Wales came in November 2020. They say that the “evidence we receive will help inform the development of a proportionate licensing approach that is right for Wales. We are seeking any evidence that helps us to better understand the scale and distribution of releases in Wales, the risks presented by gamebird releases, the socio-economic contribution that the industry makes and the environmental benefits of associated management activities”.
NRW’s indicative timeline suggests that any new approach will be confirmed in 2023 with a view to it coming into force for releases for the 2024/5 shooting season.
The details for the Future Sustainable Farming Scheme was released in time for the Royal Welsh Show where we launched our Welsh Farming Community. This provides the opportunity for farmers to show their support for GWCT approach to conservation and benefit from engagement with other like-minded farmers.
Avian Flu in Wales and across the whole of the UK has been a significant worry this year and we feed into the Welsh Wild Birds Avian Influenza Strategic Response Group the first meeting was held on 20 October.
On a brighter note, we held the first ever GWCT Welsh Game Fair Y Faenol near Bangor in North Wales on 9 - 11 September, the day after the sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II. More than 10,000 people attended, 68% of which had never been to a Game Fair before. People came from all over the country with an overwhelmingly positive response showing demand for the event which is likely to grow and become a sustainable fixture for North Wales.
Sadly, Welsh Government have refused to offer any financial support as they do to the Royal Welsh show and other significant events in Wales due to their policy on not supporting the killing of live game. This means that this has to be a wholly commercial event if we are to celebrate all the good that our countryside pursuits deliver.
We launched our Community Spirit document which highlights how shooting delivers for all 7 areas of the Well-being of Future Generations Act. Many lessons have been learned from this inaugural event which will be put into action for this year’s two-day event on 9 & 10 September. You can find out more here.
There are also some great projects running in Wales, such as the European Innovation Project showcasing the growing of seed crops aimed at providing food for seed eating birds during the hardest time over the winter months. The collaborative landscape scale projects of the Sustainable Management Fund have been challenging to all involved with cashflow problems caused by Rural Payment Wales unworkable processes.
It has been a real sadness for me personally to see such stress caused through this program not only to the farmers involved who displayed such enthusiasm for their shared vision but to the project officers caught in the middle. We also saw the start of the Llyn woodcock project which will collect Welsh data.
Following a petition mounted last year to stop the shooting of red and amber listed birds, it is vital that we have further information on these species in Wales. If you’re interested to read more about what’s going on through the year in Wales have a look at our Welsh web pages at GWCT Cymru and sign up for our daily newsround.
I look forward to seeing you at one of our many events
Wishing you all a happy 2023
Sue Evans
GWCT Director in Wales
Meet all the people working hard for the countryside in Wales here.