Anti-Shooting Week (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Anti-Shooting Week

12:55pm Wednesday 17th September 2008 in Letters

September 22 marks the start of Animal Aid's first National Anti-Shooting Week, which will highlight this government's promotion of 'gamebird' shooting.

In Labour's 2005 Charter for Shooting, the party stated that it wanted to 'actively encourage' people to take up shooting and to initiate policies under which it can 'develop and prosper'.

Recent statements confirm that promoting the killing of birds for sport is indeed now government policy.

Annually, more than 40 million pheasants and partridges are purpose-bred to be used as feathered targets, with hundreds of thousands of breeding birds confined inside metal battery cages. Many shot birds are not eaten. Even pro-shooting magazines have reported that some are buried in specially dug holes.

Readers who agree that killing animals for fun has no place in a civilised society and would like to raise this issue with their MP should contact Animal Aid on 01732 364546 or go to www.animalaid.org.uk for more information.

ANDREW TYLER, Animal Aid, The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge TN9 1AW