Steven Mace
01-11-2002, 04:18 AM
UK Game licences make £4,132 a year
By Wesley Stanton
10/01/2002
The UK’s game licence system is a complete waste of time and effort. The latest figures from the government show that for every £6 spent on an annual game licence by Britain’s shooters, more than £5.90 is swallowed up by administration costs – leaving less than 10p to go into the government’s coffers.
Officially a game licence is required to kill deer and the game species of grouse, ptarmigan, blackgame, pheasant, partridge and hare. The licences date from 1831, and were originally an initiative to protect the interests of the landed gentry against the common poacher. But the law concerning them is archaic, convoluted and very unclear.
In response to parliamentary questions asked on behalf of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) by Martyn Jones MP, the Government has revealed that in 2000/2001, some 42,310 game licences were sold in the UK – raising just £4,132 after deduction of the massive administration costs of £225,000.
“Not a penny of that tiny net profit goes back into shooting sports,” said BASC spokesman Simon Clarke. “In business terms this ratio of 99% costs to 1% profit is suicidal. It is an administrative disgrace. The system is in desperate need of review and reform.”
The government figures also show that only nine prosecutions were undertaken in the year 2000 for all game licence offences. However, these are not limited to direct licence offences, but include other breaches of the law, including laying poison to destroy game, taking or destroying eggs and shooting on a Sunday or Christmas Day or out of season.
BASC’s position is that the system is a total anachronism and should be scrapped. Back under the Conservative regime in 1994, BASC was told that the “game licence in its present form would be abolished” but with the caveat that the means for its abolition are complex. With the advent of a Labour administration in 1997, BASC was again assured that the issue would be pursued. A consultation paper was supposed to be drawn up by autumn 1998 – but nothing has been forthcoming.
Although the licence could be scrapped, an alternative might be to follow the example of the Environment Agency and its approach to fishing licences. Revenue from these licences in the UK is reinvested into the upkeep of the waterways. It might not be such a bad thing if the licensing system was reworked to create real revenue to plough back into projects such as the preservation of game habitat and other worthwhile conservation projects.
http://www.leadshot.com/story.asp?id=421
Steve Mace
By Wesley Stanton
10/01/2002
The UK’s game licence system is a complete waste of time and effort. The latest figures from the government show that for every £6 spent on an annual game licence by Britain’s shooters, more than £5.90 is swallowed up by administration costs – leaving less than 10p to go into the government’s coffers.
Officially a game licence is required to kill deer and the game species of grouse, ptarmigan, blackgame, pheasant, partridge and hare. The licences date from 1831, and were originally an initiative to protect the interests of the landed gentry against the common poacher. But the law concerning them is archaic, convoluted and very unclear.
In response to parliamentary questions asked on behalf of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) by Martyn Jones MP, the Government has revealed that in 2000/2001, some 42,310 game licences were sold in the UK – raising just £4,132 after deduction of the massive administration costs of £225,000.
“Not a penny of that tiny net profit goes back into shooting sports,” said BASC spokesman Simon Clarke. “In business terms this ratio of 99% costs to 1% profit is suicidal. It is an administrative disgrace. The system is in desperate need of review and reform.”
The government figures also show that only nine prosecutions were undertaken in the year 2000 for all game licence offences. However, these are not limited to direct licence offences, but include other breaches of the law, including laying poison to destroy game, taking or destroying eggs and shooting on a Sunday or Christmas Day or out of season.
BASC’s position is that the system is a total anachronism and should be scrapped. Back under the Conservative regime in 1994, BASC was told that the “game licence in its present form would be abolished” but with the caveat that the means for its abolition are complex. With the advent of a Labour administration in 1997, BASC was again assured that the issue would be pursued. A consultation paper was supposed to be drawn up by autumn 1998 – but nothing has been forthcoming.
Although the licence could be scrapped, an alternative might be to follow the example of the Environment Agency and its approach to fishing licences. Revenue from these licences in the UK is reinvested into the upkeep of the waterways. It might not be such a bad thing if the licensing system was reworked to create real revenue to plough back into projects such as the preservation of game habitat and other worthwhile conservation projects.
http://www.leadshot.com/story.asp?id=421
Steve Mace