Wild meat offers plenty of health and environmental benefits over most mass-produced meats. The game industry plays a vital role in managing and maintaining countryside environments, and it has a lower environmental footprint compared to large-scale livestock farming. As a result, game is a high-quality and sustainably sourced protein. It is also a very healthy option – naturally lean, high in protein, low in fat and incredibly versatile allowing for plenty of opportunities to experiment in the kitchen.

However, recent changes in legislation, economic challenges and ongoing misconceptions around game meat and the industry as a whole means that many people are unaware of the benefits game can offer. This puts the whole shooting industry under threat, as without a thriving market for game we cannot continue to shoot.

This is where Eat Wild come in. Eat Wild is the consumer facing campaign of British Game Assurance, aiming to promote wild game to a wider audience by launching multiple campaigns and events in association with famous chefs, restaurants, food influencers, press and other organisations. They have recently released up-to-date market insights and why they continue to need our support:

1. 85 % of game shot in the UK by you, and your fellow guns is exported to Europe.
2. Currently, any game shot within an ‘avian influenza zone’ cannot be exported – 2025 is the second worst year on record for AI with almost two new cases per day creating 10km zones around that farm.
3. Belgium – one of the largest buyers of UK game has also recently significantly reduced its requirements.
4. The majority of UK game is currently shot with lead – which will be banned in 2029
5. No major PLC or its directors will now sanction sales of lead shot game
6. Eat Wild has made major strides in getting large multiples to buy venison
7. Venison is our communities ’trojan horse’ – we discuss feathered game once we have created customers for venison
8. Venison and feathered game have low carbon footprints and can show environmental enrichment which are top KPI’s for large catering businesses currently.
9. It can take up to 4 years of constant communications to get large retailers to buy new products utilising any game products
10. Game that is well handled and of good weight does have a small market in UK
11. Game for petfood has higher health requirements than for human consumption
12. Eat Wild is our sectors only marketing body for shot game – without its success and delivery, the whole sport of shooting game in the UK is under a moral and ethical threat.
13. We need to prepare now for non-toxic shot game in 2 years’ time to ensure there are markets in place
14. The Eat Wild 50p levy, that is paid by you and other participating guns, is our sole source of revenue – we only exist to ensure a market for the game you have shot!

Eat Wild extends their sincere thanks to all the Roxtons guns who continue to support Eat Wild through their support levy; a voluntary 50p per bird levy that is their only source of funding.

To learn more about their mission and the benefits of game meat, please visit their website here.