Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

The Department of the Environment has recently published new regulations to protect waterfowl from lead shot. The Environmental Protection (Restriction on the use of Lead Shot) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2009 (S.R. 2009.168) comes into effect on the 1st September 2009. The purpose of this Guidance Note is to assist the shooting community to understand the regulations, and where and how they apply.

You can click on the image and view or download your own copy of the guidelines or alternatively you may pick up a copy of the guidance from our stand at the game fairs this summer.   

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is charged under various sections of the Wildlife Act 1976 and the Wildlife Amendment Act 2000  with a large number of licensing functions which are discharged by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

With the advent of the new game shooting season, the major organisations representing shooting, of which the Countryside Alliance is one, have launched an improved version of the Code of Good Shooting Practice. 

This extract from the foreword sums up the need for the code: ‘We must never be complacent about the future of shooting. Shooting and shoot management practices will be judged by the way participants and providers behave. Our sport is under constant and detailed scrutiny and we must demonstrate that we conduct it to high standards. The Code of Good Shooting Practice brings together these standards and makes them easily available to all who participate.’

The code is a good example of using self-regulation to fend off Government intervention. By its voluntary nature, not all may adhere to it, but over time it has proved an invaluable tool whether dealing with politicians or supermarkets. It points the shooting community in the right direction.

To Download your copy click here

Northern Ireland Firearms Legislation
Firearms legislation in Northern Ireland is different than that of Great Britain so if you intend to visit or transit through or leave Northern Ireland and you have your firearms with you there are certain regulations that you will be required to comply with. The following paragraphs and matrix will provide you with guidance on the requirements for correct documentation and information on the procedures that are likely to be applied depending on your mode of transport.

We would like to inform our members that in order to bring your firearms into the Republic you need to obtain a visitors pass from An Garda. The following is a list of documentation you will need. You will normally then submit your form to the Superintendent in whose area you are going to visit.

A recent case reported in Shooting Times magazine highlighted the importance of health and safety on shoots. Seven hunt saboteurs were acquitted on 14th April of aggravated trespass because the shoot in question did not have a written health and safety policy. Any shoot with five or more employees is required by law to have a written health and safety policy and risk assessment. Getting this sort of administration done ahead of the 2008/09 season will mean peace of mind, and Countryside Alliance has developed a guideline to risk assessment on shoots to help avoid legal pitfalls. The risk assessment of the shoot is in line with the Code of Good Shooting Practice and the Game Shoot Standard Assurance Scheme.

Preparing a Risk Assessment for your Shoot