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ChAllengeS foR ouR SpoRt continued
Membership is open to all Shoots no matter how large or small and so far over 500 Shoots have joined. It is also open to
game processors and individuals who have an interest in supporting our game shooting industry.

Game meat is the only form of meat entering the food chain which is not regulated other than by established Health and
Hygiene rules laid down by the Food Standards Agency through recognised processors. However as only a small amount
of game meat is processed by established game meat processors there is much to do about the remainder. Unless as an
industry we address this problem, it will certainly be forced on us.

The BGA has now established a professional team to promote the sale of game and trained team of auditors. During April
2019 representatives visited Japan and Hong Kong to promote exports to these regions.

For progress on BGA so far you can read about this on the following End of Year Summary and Chairman’s Report links.
For further information please visit www.britishgamealliance.co.uk.
https://www.britishgamealliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/End-of-Season-Summary-Updated-For-Website.pdf
https://www.britishgamealliance.co.uk/season-summary-2018-2019/

When the BGA considered what is required by a shoot for their audit they asked if they could use the Ripley Castle Shoot
to establish a template. We receive a visit from a team who were tasked to draw up the criteria required by shoots in order
that they will receive the BGA stamp of approval for their game. The plan is that the BGA logo on dressed game will be
established as a Worldwide Retail Standard.

In order to get BGA up and running it requires a considerable amount of finance. There is a tiered membership fee and
each of our shoots have paid an annual membership fee of £1,000.

In addition to the membership fee a voluntary levy of 50p per bird shot on the day is requested. We all like to see
something or our money so my way of supporting this levy is to offer each day as a sweepstake two bottles from our
selection of Sloe, Damson, Rhubarb, Plum and new this season, Apricot, Raspberry and Lemon and Cucumber Gins.
Each shoot day the guns are requested to make a voluntary donation of £20 into the kitty. We then run a sweep for the
bag for the day with the nearest two guns to the total receiving a bottle of gin each.

Last season we raised £19,500 for the BGA and hope for a similar amount this season. I hope this support will go some
way in establishing BGA as a recognised National Standard for our Game Industry. None of us can afford for it to fail and
I will keep everyone advised on its progress. I do hope you will all be prepared to support this initiative again this season.

I would appreciate any comments you have regarding this initiative which I will feed back to the BGA.

ouR plAn foR ouR Shot gAMe in the new SeASon

Our game dealer is very happy with the quality and size of our partridge, duck and cock pheasants and we are all aware
that hen birds are tastier. However the continental market is more interested in size so prefer cock pheasants to hen
pheasants. Although our dealers will take some hen pheasant they ask if we could also move some of these birds.

CRowning MAChine

You may have read in the shooting press about this new device for removing the crown of any bird, pheasant, partridge,
duck or pigeon. The “Crown” is the two breasts of a bird which are the parts we require.

I have purchased a Crowning machine, wrapping machine, packets and cling film for packing the Crowns.

In the past at the end of each shoot day guns were given a choice of pheasant or partridge breasts . Similar will be offered
in the new season except guns will receive whole crowns processed on our premises.

I definitely do not want to become a game processor but we will have more hen pheasants available than will be taken by
the guns each day. We plan to produce as many hen pheasant crowns as guns and staff require free of charge. The only
rule is that as the crowns are supplied at no cost they cannot be offered for resale.

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